Skip to content

search results for:

News

Small towns big impact: Why I chose a rural residency

Dr. Nicole Minielly (family medicine resident) During medical training we complete rotations in rural communities. The diversity of practice in family medicine, especially in rural settings, immediately drew me in. I loved the idea of working in different spaces — seeing patients in a clinic, caring for them in a hospital, assisting in the emergency room and even doing maternity care. No two days are the same, and that variety keeps me engaged an…


Page

Become a Member

…r 35 years, BC Family Doctors has advocated for our profession. Family physicians ourselves, we are the economic and political voice of family doctors in BC. We represent you at tables where your voice needs to be heard. JOIN US Log in to your Doctors of BC account & add BC Family Doctors to your membership. We can’t do this without you. Join BC Family Doctors to help us save family medicine in BC. Join BC Family Doctors to build an environment wh…


News

A New Payment Model for Family Doctors

…the details of a new payment model for family doctors. We believe this significant investment in family medicine will better support longitudinal family doctors and patients across the province. In partnership with Doctors of BC, we have been advocating for a payment model that reflects what you told us, that family physician compensation needs to: Ensure physician autonomy and choice Increase family physician compensation Value spending time with…


News

Renew your membership for 2024

…te change. Over the years, BC Family Doctors has led changes to family physician compensation and primary care reform. We are making sure family doctors’ voices are heard and patients’ needs are met. You spoke. We listened. We delivered. In the past year, we: Led an awareness raising campaign on the crisis in family medicine. Helped achieve a PMA with historic funding increases for doctors, tackling issues like re-referrals and administrative burd…


News

More residents choosing family practice under new payment model

A recent survey of medical residents at the University of British Columbia (UBC) shows that BC’s new family doctor payment model is making waves. About 84 per cent of survey respondents said the new payment system has influenced their decision to pursue a career in family practice. The survey was part of an unpublished research study from the UBC Department of Family Practice. BC introduced the Longitudinal Family Physician (LFP) Payment Model in…


News

BC doctors call for an end to sick notes

Sick notes place an unnecessary administrative burden on family doctors, taking valuable time away from direct patient care in an already overburdened healthcare system. Administrative tasks like sick notes make up about 30 per cent of a family doctor’s workload, according to the BC College of Family Physicians. This burden is one of the key issues affecting family doctor capacity, affirmed in our member survey. Sick notes also create unnecessary…


News

2024 Wrapped: gratitude, growth and looking ahead

…incredible work you do, with gratitude from your patients, colleagues, families, and community. Balancing clinical practice, raising two teenage daughters, and contributing to this remarkably nimble organization—the economic and political voice for all family doctors—has been no small feat. BC Family Doctors is a powerhouse advocate for family doctors in B.C., with our staff and board raising their voices louder than ever, both within and outside…


News

Emergency rooms aren’t the answer to primary care gaps

A new report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) highlights a growing issue: more patients are visiting hospital emergency rooms (ERs) for conditions that could be treated in a primary care setting. Why is this happening? Many people don’t have access to a family doctor. Long wait times and barriers to virtual care leave patients with few options. As a result, emergency departments are under even more pressure. This is a fam…


News

Mind the care gap: the highs and lows of rural family medicine

Dr. Karen Forgie Rural medicine is one of the most challenging yet most rewarding areas of practice. It brings health care, community, ingenuity and resilience together like no other setting. Rural medicine means more than just your doctor role. You’re a trusted part of the community—someone people turn to for everything from a broken bone to mental health support to leadership. Many days start early and end late, with a full range of patients wa…


News

Bridging the generational divide

…Street Journal article highlighted the tension between young doctors prioritizing work-life balance and doctors who believe medicine is a calling requiring personal sacrifice. The changing face of medicine Family doctors entering the practice today are pushing back against the grueling hours and relentless demands that defined previous generations, rejecting the notion that burnout is unavoidable, a perspective aligned with a broader cultural shi…


News

Statement from BC Family Doctors on the 2025 Throne Speech

…ring more health professionals into the system. Pharmacists and nurse practitioners are valuable members of the health-care team and expanding their roles helps patients. But team-based care works best when patients and family doctors are at the centre, providing the continuity and comprehensive care that patients need—especially for those with complex or chronic conditions. Family doctors are specialists in primary care. The Longitudinal Family P…


News

Sick notes for short absences to be scrapped!

BC Family Doctors applaud the provincial government’s plans to eliminate the requirement for sick notes for short-term illnesses. Today, the Ministry of Labour announced the introduction of Bill 11 to amend the Employment Standards Act, eliminating the need for workers to get sick notes for short-term work absences. This is welcome news for family physicians, patients and our healthcare system. It means: Family physicians will spend less time on…


News

New primary care report highlights LFP impact

A new report shows the impact our advocacy and leadership has had on stabilizing primary care and improving access to care for British Columbians. Just over two years ago, nearly one million residents were without a family doctor. The primary care system was in crisis and doctors were leaving family medicine. The Province’s recently released Strengthening Primary Care in BC report highlights the game-changing impact the introduction of the Longit…


News

COVID-19 Resources for Doctors

We know family doctors are working hard to deliver care to British Columbians and “flatten the curve” for COVID-19.  We have collated a few resources to help you deliver care to your patients. In these difficult times, we encourage you to pause each day and be proud of the care you are giving. BC Family Doctors Resources Resources for Physicians Phase 1: What are Essential Services in Primary Care? Phase 2: Beyond Essential Services in Primary Ca…


News

The Ruby of Routine

…of family milestones, train-the-trainer workshops with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan, and of course, vacation – a little actual time away. Before this, the cadence of the past few months had been atypical, but up my alley: a jet setting volley. My attitude to altitude was most definitely, ‘Beam me up, Scotty!’ What happens when the routine of reality suddenly seems less certain? I see scattered masks in the faces of people sn…


News

Dr Walter Reynolds

On August 10, 2020, Dr Walter Reynolds – a Family Physician – was unyieldingly attacked while providing patient care. Husband to Anelia and father to two girls – Walter succumbed to his injuries, leaving a family and community abruptly bereft of a man described as deeply caring, always smiling and willing to give the shirt off his back I was on summer vacation with my own family when I heard of the attack. As I read the early reports, my heart wa…


BC Family Doctors