Rural and Remote Division of Family Practice

18/10/2025

High above on Peak 5040 sits the Hišimy̓awiƛ hut - between Port Alberni and Ucluelet. Hišimy̓awiƛ means “Gather Together” in the Barkley Sound dialect of the Ucluelet First Nation.

16/10/2025

Check it out!

Join the next Physician Health Program Speaker Series: "Rethinking Physician Well-Being: Addressing Ableism and Improving Accessibility in Medicine" with Dr Michael Quon. Register: https://bit.ly/4lKaqAw

16/10/2025

✨ Join us for an interactive and experiential online Conversations That Matter workshop, hosted through the Thriving Project, where we cultivate open-hearted connection and practice essential skills that help us build meaningful relationships and support systems at work.
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Rural physicians Drs. Tandi Wilkinson and Svetlana Hadikin will facilitate thoughtful conversations and transformative experiences that lead to an embodied understanding of topics such as failure, shame, vulnerability, compassion, and peer support. Expect to be moved and inspired by the authentic contributions of participants as we draw on the collective wisdom in the room. Don't miss this opportunity to thrive together in community. ⁠

This workshop is free for rural healthcare providers (Doctor, resident, nurse practitioner, midwife) in BC⁠.⁠
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🔗 Learn more and register: https://rccbc.ca/initiatives/thriving-project/
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10/10/2025

Our friends and colleagues in Fort Nelson were treated to an amazing Northern Lights show late last month. Fort Nelson is one of 12 Chapters within the Rural and Remote Division of Family Practice. Learn more about the Fort Nelson Chapter here: https://divisionsbc.ca/rural-and-remote/communities/fort-nelson

10/10/2025

Please share with your provider contacts in rural communities.

ℹ️ RTVS Service Update

CHARLiE (pediatric) and MaBAL (maternity and babies) pathways may experience a service disruption after October 20, 2025.

RCCbc, RTVS, and partners are working together to maintain continuous rural support.

Updates will be shared as soon as more information becomes available.

✉️ Questions: Email info@rccbc.ca.
For urgent clinical concerns, contact your Health Authority.

08/10/2025

Now at the JCC Conference: “None of us have exactly the same role in the work that we do, but we absolutely need one another,” keynote Dr Jane Philpott speaks about the importance of recognizing each other’s unique value in the health system and working together to effect meaningful change for doctors and patients alike.

08/10/2025

29/09/2025

On Tuesday, September 30th, the Rural and Remote Division of Family Practice and its members, staff, and Board will observe and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Residential School Survivors, bear witness and remember the children who never came home. Are you wearing orange? Send us photo of you and your staff, colleagues and friends on Orange Shirt Day to info@rrdfp.ca or post on your social media ( ). [Pictured: Rural and Remote Division's Board Co-Chairs, Dr. Erin Carlson (left) and Dyan Dunsmoor-Farley (right)]

29/09/2025

September 30th marks Canada's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day that asks us to pause, reflect, and remember. We honour the children who never returned home from residential schools, the Sixties Scoop and Millennium Scoop through the child welfare system, and the Indian hospitals.

For over a century, Indigenous children were forcibly taken from their families and placed in institutions designed to strip away their cultures, languages, and identities. The wounds from this systemic attempt to erase Indigenous ways of life continue to impact communities today, particularly in how Indigenous peoples experience and access healthcare.

Established through Call to Action #80 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, this National Day of Remembrance represents more than commemoration. It's a call to action that challenges each of us to examine our role in reconciliation and to move beyond acknowledgment toward meaningful change.

🔗 Learn more about our commitment to reconciliation: https://rccbc.ca/story/rccbc-honours-national-day-for-truth-and-reconciliation-2025/

23/09/2025

The RTVS VERRa team has now provided over 10,000 hours of hospital coverage to communities in BC. 🎉⁠
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VERRa, which stands for Virtual Emergency Room Rural Assistance, has provided overnight hospital coverage to 16 rural hospitals in BC.⁠
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VERRa’s team of virtual Emergency Medicine physicians step in during hospital physician staffing shortages. The team works with rural RNs to provide overnight coverage at small rural hospitals.⁠
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The program helps in a number of ways:⁠
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☑️ Helps prevent closures and diversions.⁠
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☑️ Helps support primary care because family physicians are not overburdened covering hospital shifts and can focus on their family practice clinics.⁠
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☑️ Supports physician retention as it means physicians can potentially avoid working back-to-back shifts so they can get some much-needed rest.⁠
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📸 Pictured: VERRa Co-leads Dr. Caroline Walker (in person) and Dr. Brydon Blacklaws (over Zoom).⁠
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🔗 Visit https://rccbc.ca/rtvs/verra for more information.

19/09/2025

Surrounded by a spectacular natural environment, North Vancouver Island invites you to embrace the lifestyle and discover the beauty within. Recreational activities include winter skiing at Mount Cain, mountain biking, wildlife viewing, windsurfing, sailing, kayaking, fishing, diving, hiking and golfing. Family physicians on North Vancouver Island (NVI) practice in the communities of Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Alert Bay, and Port Alice. Port McNeill is renowned for being an international whale-watching destination, while Port Hardy is the gateway to Cape Scott and Raft Cove Provincial Parks on the north-west coast. Considered a gateway to BC’s rugged and pristine west coast, Port Alice is an outdoor enthusiasts’ paradise with access to Brooks Peninsula Provincial Park, Alice and Victoria Lakes, and numerous rivers. Alert Bay is surrounded by mountains where you can enjoy epic views of the harbour. The small island village offers a rich cultural experience, and you can witness the traditions and art of the ‘Namgis history and identity. Rural and Remote Division of Family Practice