Community Designation

Rural Practice Subsidiary Agreement (RSA) communities are designated A, B, C, or D based on the number of isolation points they receive:

  • A Communities: 20 or more
  • B Communities: 15 to 19.99
  • C Communities: 1.5 to 14.99
  • D Communities: 0.1 to 1.49

Physicians practising in A, B, or C communities are eligible for all the rural programs subject to meeting individual program requirements. Physicians residing in D communities are eligible for the following rural programs subject to meeting individual program requirements: RCME, RIF, RCF, RGPLP, RGPALP, and REAP.

Medical Isolation Assessment System

The following list outlines the factors by which the Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues (JSC) determines the number of points designated for each rural BC community with the RSA. The point system is used to categorize and group communities in order to determine eligibility for programs under the RSA. The JSC regularly reviews the criteria and may make changes periodically.

FACTORS AND POINTS

1. Number of designated specialties within 70 km:

  • 0 specialties – 60 points (the maximum)
  • 1 specialty – 50 points
  • 2 specialties – 40 points
  • 3 specialties – 20 points
  • 4+ specialties – 0 points

 

2. Number of general practitioners within 35 km:

  • 0 to 3 GPs – 60 points (the maximum)
  • 4 to 10 GPs – 40 points
  • 11 to 20 GPs – 20 points
  • over 20 practitioners – 0 points

 

3. Community Size (if larger community within 35 km, then larger population is applied):

  • Up to 5,000 – 25 points (the maximum)
  • Between 5,000 and 9,999 – 15 points
  • 10,000 to 30,000 – 10 points
  • Over 30,000 – 0 points

 

4. Distance from Major Medical Community (Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Vancouver, Victoria, Abbotsford, Prince George):

  • First 70 km of road distance – 4 points
  • For each 35 km over 70 km – 2 points (to a maximum of 30 points)

 

5. Degree of Latitude

  • Communities above 53 degrees latitude – 30 points (the maximum)
  • Communities between 52 to 53 degrees latitude – 20 points

 

6. Specialist Centre
Designated specialties as per the RSA are general surgery, orthopedics, pediatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, anesthesiology, psychiatry, and radiology.

  • 8 designated specialties and more than one specialist in each specialty as set out in the Physician Supply Plan – 60 points (the maximum)
  • 5 to 7 designated specialties in physician supply plans – 50 points
  • 3 or 4 designated specialties in physician supply plans – 30 points

 

7. Location Arc

  • Communities in Arc A (within 100 km air distance from Vancouver) – 0.10 points
  • Communities in Arc B (between 100 and 300 km air distance from Vancouver) – 0.15 points
  • Communites in Arc C (between 300 and 750 km air distance from Vancouver) – 0.20 points
  • Communities in Arc D (over 750 km air distance from Vancouver) – 0.25 points (the maximum).