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FALL 2014
New program to bring family doctors to rural communities
To address the shortage of family
physicians in rural communities, the
Government of British Columbia has
launched a pilot program that will provide
internationally educated physicians with
a direct pathway to licensure in BC. The
Practice Ready Assessment – British
Columbia (PRA-BC) program will give
physicians an opportunity to meet
licensure requirements established by
the College of Physicians and Surgeons
of BC More… page 2
Dr. Rob Coetzee arrives in BC’s interior
Types of group practice
When Dr. Rob Coetzee arrived
in Tatla Lake, he knew the
Chilcotin region’s mountains
and pristine wilderness
awaited him. What he didn’t
expect was the warm welcome
he received from the
community, whose
coordinated efforts with the
Interior Health Authority and
Health Match BC helped get
him there in the first place.
His story… page 3
With the variety of
options Canada has to
offer, choosing a practice
model that works for you
can be challenging.
Though many physicians
still choose to start solo
practices, many find a
group practice setting to
be more efficient and
cost-effective.
Read on… page 4
Snapshot:
Snapshot:
International Medical
International
Medical
Graduates (IMG)
in BC
Graduates
(IMG)
• 196 IMGs applied for in BC
• 196
IMGs applied
for
registration
in British
registration
Columbia in British
• Columbia
170 new IMG applicants were
• 170
newprovisional
IMG applicants were
granted
granted
provisional
registration
• registration
87 new IMG applicants were
• 87
new IMG
applicants were
granted
full registration
fullpreviously
registration
• granted
164 IMGs
on the
• 164
IMGs previously
on the
provisional
register were
provisional
advanced toregister
the fullwere
register
advanced to the full register
COMMUNITIES IN ACTION
OUR RECRUITERS ON THE ROAD
New Lakes District Hospital
and Health Centre ahead of
schedule
Meet our recruitment team at the following national and international conferences:
Thanks to hard work by construction
crews, the new Lakes District Hospital
and Health Centre is expected to be
ready for patients in February 2015,
ahead of schedule by over five months.
More… page 5
October 17 - 18: British Medical Journal (BMJ) Careers Fair; London, UK
October 21 - 25: American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Scientific Assembly; Washington, DC,
USA
November 12 - 15: Family Medicine Forum (FMF); Quebec City, Quebec, CANADA
December 9 - 11: Ultrasound 2014 (The British Medical Ultrasound Society - BMUS) Annual Scientific
Meeting; Gateshead, UK
http://enews.healthmatchbc.org/pages/issuecover.asp?id=25
1
Copyright © 2009-2014 Health Match BC. All rights reserved.
FALL 2014
Fall 2014 Contents
New program to bring family doctors to rural communities
Cover page… page 1
To address the shortage of
family physicians in rural
communities, the
Government of British
Columbia has launched a
pilot program that will
provide internationally
educated physicians with a
direct pathway to licensure
in BC.
Feature story:
• New program to bring family doctors
to rural communities… page 2
Profile:
• Dr. Rob Coetzee arrives in BC’s
interior… page 3
News items:
• Types of group practice… page 4
Communities in action:
• New Lakes District Hospital and
Health Centre ahead of schedule…
page 5
Advance
Advance is published as a dynamic means
of sharing news and information with
physicians considering a move to British
Columbia.
We value your input. Please email us your
comments or send us your story ideas.
While we will make every effort to publish
your contributions, we reserve the right to
decline stories or edit for content, clarity,
and tone.
[email protected]
Suite 200
1333 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
Canada
V6H 4C6
604.736.5920
The Practice Ready
Assessment – British Columbia (PRA-BC) program will give physicians who have
completed residencies in Family Medicine outside of Canada an opportunity to meet
licensure requirements established by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC.
In return for this opportunity, physicians selected for the program must commit to a
three-year Return of Service period in a rural community identified by British
Columbia’s health authorities.
“The PRA-BC allows Health Match BC and its partners to cast a wider net in our
search for family physicians who want to work in British Columbia’s rural areas,” says
John Mabbott, Executive Director of Health Match BC. “It also provides internationallyeducated family physicians with an avenue to licensure that was previously unavailable
to them.”
The PRA-BC will launch in the spring of 2015 with fifteen participants; a second cohort
of fifteen participants will enter the program in the fall of 2015. Each group will undergo
comprehensive examinations and supervised clinical field assessments in order to
determine their eligibility for a provisional license to practise family medicine in BC.
Those who are successful will be matched to rural communities in need of GPs.
Recruiting doctors to rural communities is an ongoing challenge in BC and throughout
North America. As well, many physicians who currently serve rural areas are
approaching retirement age: the Canadian Medical Association estimates that 46% of
physicians in BC are 55 and older.
There are a range of initiatives to address the issue, including residency programs in
rural healthcare settings, and financial incentives for physicians who accept positions
in many rural communities. The PRA-BC program builds on these efforts by offering
family physicians who trained abroad a new assessment and licensing pathway that
leads directly to practicing in a rural community of need.
“This program will bring up to 30 family physicians to rural communities across BC,”
says Mabbott. “This will be a huge benefit to individuals and families in need of
primary care.”
Find us on: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
and YouTube
The application deadline for the inaugural session is December 1, 2014: interested
candidates are invited to learn more at www.healhmatchbc.org (click on Practice
Ready Assessment – BC).
The PRA-BC is a collaboration between the College of Physicians & Surgeons of
British Columbia, Doctors of BC – Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues, the
Government of British Columbia, and the University of British Columbia in partnership
with British Columbia’s health authorities and Health Match BC.
http://enews.healthmatchbc.org/pages/issuecover.asp?id=25
2
Copyright © 2009-2014 Health Match BC. All rights reserved.
FALL 2014
Fall 2014 Contents
Cover page… page 1
Feature story:
• New program to bring family doctors
to rural communities… page 2
Profile:
• Dr. Rob Coetzee arrives in BC’s
interior… page 3
News items:
• Types of group practice… page 4
Communities in action:
• New Lakes District Hospital and
Health Centre ahead of schedule…
page 5
Advance
Advance is published as a dynamic means
of sharing news and information with
physicians considering a move to British
Columbia.
We value your input. Please email us your
comments or send us your story ideas.
While we will make every effort to publish
your contributions, we reserve the right to
decline stories or edit for content, clarity,
and tone.
[email protected]
Suite 200
1333 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
Canada
V6H 4C6
604.736.5920
From Africa, to the Caribbean, to the waters of Antarctica: Dr.
Robert Coetzee puts down roots in BC’s interior
When Dr. Rob Coetzee arrived in Tatla Lake, he
knew the Chilcotin region’s snow-capped mountains
and pristine wilderness awaited him. What he didn’t
expect was the warm welcome he received from the
community, whose coordinated efforts with the
Interior Health Authority and Health Match BC
helped get him there in the first place.
“The people in these communities just blew me
Dr. Robert Coetzee’s catch of the
day.
away. I came to remote BC expecting wilderness –
it is a given, that is what drew me here. I did not
expect how you become absorbed into the community. It is just an incredible
experience - people are so grateful that you are here in the first place,” Coetzee says.
Remote areas aren’t new to Coetzee, who had always
dreamed of working in Canada. An ALS paramedic
since 1995, and a licensed physician since 2006,
Coetzee practised rural and emergency medicine in
Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. Later, while
working aboard cruise ships travelling to the
Caribbean and Alaska, he began the process of
becoming registered with the College of Physicians
and Surgeons of British Columbia (the College). But
accepting a 14-month position with the South African
National Antarctic Expedition caused an unexpected
problem.
“Just before I left for Antarctica, I learned that South
African physicians could no longer register with the
College as of January 2014. I was returning from the
expedition in March. It seemed there was no way
around this, so I started the registration process in
Saskatchewan and Alberta.”
"The people in these
communities just blew
me away. I did not
expect how you
become absorbed into
the community. It is
just an incredible
experience - people
are so grateful that you
are here in the first
place.”
Enter Dr. Michael Smialowski, the sole physician in Tatla Lake. Approaching
retirement and on a mission to find his replacement, he knew that Coetzee was a
perfect fit for the small ranching community. He promptly mobilized the community,
Interior Health and Health Match BC, and ultimately succeeded in bringing the
physician to their town.
Coetzee started work in May of this year. He splits his time between Tatla Lake,
Anahim Lake, and Redstone, and may expand his reach to the Nemiah Valley in the
future. He also works shifts in the William’s Lake emergency room, and has privileges
for anaesthesia at William’s Lake Cariboo Memorial Hospital.
Find us on: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
and YouTube
Coetzee remains in awe of BC’s Cariboo-Chilcotin region and the lifestyle choices
available to him there. An avid fly-fisherman and accomplished photographer, his
summers are spent mountain biking, hiking, water skiing, canoeing, and horseback
riding. But how does he feel about the approaching winter months?
“I'm from Africa, so snow and ice will remain a lifelong fascination - despite my sojourn
in Antarctica. I'll probably become very serious about my cross-country skiing. I may
be one of the very few people out here actually wishing winter would come sooner.”
http://enews.healthmatchbc.org/pages/issuecover.asp?id=25
3
Copyright © 2009-2014 Health Match BC. All rights reserved.
FALL 2014
Fall 2014 Contents
Types of group practice
Cover page… page 1
Overwhelmed by the variety of practice settings
available to you?
Feature story:
• New program to bring family doctors
to rural communities… page 2
Profile:
• Dr. Rob Coetzee arrives in BC’s
interior… page 3
News items:
• Types of group practice… page 4
Communities in action:
• New Lakes District Hospital and
Health Centre ahead of schedule…
page 5
Advance
Advance is published as a dynamic means
of sharing news and information with
physicians considering a move to British
Columbia.
We value your input. Please email us your
comments or send us your story ideas.
While we will make every effort to publish
your contributions, we reserve the right to
decline stories or edit for content, clarity,
and tone.
[email protected]
Suite 200
1333 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
Canada
V6H 4C6
604.736.5920
With the variety of options Canada has to offer,
choosing a practice model that works for you
can be challenging. Though many physicians
still choose to start solo practices, many find a
group practice setting to be more efficient and
cost-effective. The Canadian Medical
Association provides information about types of
group practice in their 2014 New In Practice Guide.
A group practice is defined as two or more professionals practising within the same
office. The professionals do not have to be of the same discipline (e.g., a general
practitioner specializing in sports medicine, an orthopedic specialist and a
physiotherapist sharing an office). Group practice is much more practical in Canada
because of the changing medical environment and the inherent cost-efficiencies. As
well, group practices are best able to tap into new payments and incentives for models
of care being offered by the MoH that involve collaboration. One key advantage of a
group practice is sharing the costs of office space, medical equipment, supplies and
support staff. However, once a group exceeds seven or eight doctors, the economies
of scale will often plateau. Bigger may not always be better.
There are two main types of group practice to consider: association and partnership.
Whether you are looking at an associated or partnership group practice, make sure to
have both your accountant and your lawyer review and update the contract agreement
before you sign, to ensure your interests are protected.
Association
An association is an expense-sharing agreement that can range from sharing rent and
waiting room costs only to sharing everything, including staff, equipment, medical
supplies and office resources. Associates do not share income, nor do they bear
professional or legal responsibility for others in the group. The degree to which
expenses are shared must be clearly specified in a legally binding association
agreement.
How it works
A group of physicians rent office space (which may or may not be in a building with
other medical services) and share clinic overhead costs and expenditures, such as
administrative and medical staff salaries, computer equipment, rent, supplies,
telephones and furniture. It allows physicians to enjoy most of the advantages of an
individual practice, while benefiting from economies of scale, in-house coverage and
collegiality. The physicians are, for the most part, independent and autonomous,
determine their own schedules (within certain limits set by the group), share overhead
with their associates, avoid professional isolation and assist each other with
administrative tasks.
Find us on: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
and YouTube
Partnership
A partnership practice shares not only expenses, but also income, personal and
medical liability. The contractual obligations and benefits of this complex arrangement
must be evaluated closely. A formula detailing each partner’s share of income and
expenditures must be specified within a legally binding partnership agreement, which is
usually much more complicated than an association contract.
Until recent years, the majority of group practices in Canada were associations rather
than partnerships. Today, however, the popularity of alternate funding models
encourages physicians to consider partnerships.
This article is an excerpt from New In Practice 2014, a guide published by the
Canadian Medical Association (CMA). Health Match BC gratefully acknowledges the
permission granted by the CMA to reproduce the copyrighted material.
http://enews.healthmatchbc.org/pages/issuecover.asp?id=25
4
Copyright © 2009-2014 Health Match BC. All rights reserved.
FALL 2014
Fall 2014 Contents
Cover page… page 1
New Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre ahead of
schedule
Feature story:
• New program to bring family doctors
to rural communities… page 2
Thanks to hard work by construction crews,
the new Lakes District Hospital and Health
Centre is expected to be ready for patients
in February 2015, ahead of schedule by
over five months. Construction crews were
able to complete the project early after
strong progress in the summer of 2013 and
a mild winter in 2013/2014.
Profile:
• Dr. Rob Coetzee arrives in BC’s
interior… page 3
News items:
• Types of group practice… page 4
Communities in action:
• New Lakes District Hospital and
Health Centre ahead of schedule…
page 5
Advance
Advance is published as a dynamic means
of sharing news and information with
physicians considering a move to British
Columbia.
We value your input. Please email us your
comments or send us your story ideas.
While we will make every effort to publish
your contributions, we reserve the right to
decline stories or edit for content, clarity,
and tone.
[email protected]
Suite 200
1333 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
Canada
V6H 4C6
604.736.5920
“Together with Northern Health, we’re demonstrating that our commitment to rural and
remote health services starts on the ground, by having construction projects that are
ahead of schedule to provide the highest level care for the community as soon as
possible,” said Health Minister Terry Lake.
PCL Westcoast Constructors Inc. is expected to reach
substantial completion on the building by December
2014, which will leave about two months for staff
training in their new workspace. Landscaping,
demolition of the old hospital and health centre, and
paving of the new parking lots will occur in 2015. More
information about the move process will be available in
the fall of 2014.
“The new Lakes District
Hospital and Health
Centre will be a benefit
to residents of Burns
Lake and the
surrounding area.”
“The new Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre
will be a benefit to residents of Burns Lake and the
surrounding area,” said John Rustad, MLA for Nechako Lakes. “It is exciting to see the
project will be put into operation ahead of schedule.”
“It has been great to watch the project move from the ground up,” said Marie Hunter,
Northern Health Lakes District Health Service Administrator. “I’m excited with the
progress that has been made on this project and we’re one step closer to the opening
of the new facility.”
Construction on the project began in June 2013 with excavation of the site for the new
facility. The building was fully enclosed by January 2014, and crews finished exterior
work on the facility in September 2014.
“This project is an important investment for families and future generations in the
Village of Burns Lake and the surrounding communities in the delivery of quality,
sustainable health care services,” said Ralph Roy, Stuart Nechako Regional Hospital
District Chair. “The Stuart Nechako Regional Hospital District is a proud partner in this
project and glad to see it will open ahead of schedule.”
Find us on: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
and YouTube
The new hospital will have 16 beds and the new centre will provide acute care and
emergency services, diagnostic imaging, a laboratory and pharmacy. Space also is
planned for a medical clinic along with the delivery of mental health and addictions
services, public health, and home and community care.
The facility will be a two-storey building and approximately 6,100 square metres
(65,000 square feet). The hospital will be a green and energy efficient facility designed
to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Gold certification.
PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc. is building the new Lakes District Hospital and Health
Centre. The total project cost of $55 million is shared between the government of
British Columbia and Stuart Nechako Regional Hospital District.
The content of this article was originally published by Northern Health. Health Match
BC gratefully acknowledges the permission granted by Northern Health to reproduce
the copyrighted material.
http://enews.healthmatchbc.org/pages/issuecover.asp?id=25
5
Copyright © 2009-2014 Health Match BC. All rights reserved.