Membership
Benefits of Membership
Rural family doctors understand the realities of providing health care in small, and often isolated, communities. As a member of the Rural and Remote Division of Family Practice, you will have the opportunity to help set and act on Division priorities, as well as benefit from the many ways we support rural doctors in optimizing their practices.
Becoming a Member
To become a member of the Rural and Remote Division of Family Practice, you must:
(a) be 19 years of age or older;
(b) be:
(i) a general practitioner or family doctor who is duly licensed by, and in good standing with the College of Physicians and Surgeons; or
(ii) a nurse practitioner who is duly registered by, and in good standing with the College of Nurses;
(c) reside or practice in the community or region covered by a Chapter; and
(d) be interested in advancing the purposes and supporting the activities of the Society.
Membership is free. To join, please complete the online application form. Applications must be approved by the board of directors, who will assign each member to a chapter. Membership has a five-year term, after which you are asked to reapply to maintain your membership status.
Choosing or Forming a Chapter
All Division members are asked to select a home chapter through which most Division activities and communications will take place. The majority of doctors choose the regional chapter that encompasses their home community. If your community does not have a regional chapter, contact the Division’s Executive Director, Helen Truran, about the possibility of forming a local chapter
Benefits of Membership
The benefits to being a member of the Rural and Remote Division include:
- Shared effort in enhancing rural primary care
- Partnerships to improve local and regional health services
- Improved processes for accessing health authority and specialist services
- Practice support and electronic medical record enhancements
- Rural continuing professional development
- Influence on advancing rural health care models
- Linkages to resources and supports for rural physicians
- Networking with rural physicians/other providers
- Support for recruitment, retention and locums
- Mentorship
- Support for advancing interprofessional practice
- Access to a free UpToDate subscription
The Rural and Remote Division of Family Practice is a joint initiative of the Government of BC and Doctors of BC. While the division receives funding from these partners, we are an independent non-profit society—as appropriate, we work as equal partners with the Ministry of Health and health authorities around the province.
Our Division undertakes initiatives solely based on the priorities of our members. We receive additional funding for each new member, enhancing our ability to broaden the scope or depth of our work.
