Merritt

Rolling hills, sparkling lakes, and endless hours of sunshine every year make Merritt a haven for four-season outdoor recreation. The summer offers some of the best sailing and windsurfing in North America, and nearby Nicola Lake offers endless choices for water activities. The area is also known for the beautiful horseback riding opportunities as well as camping, and fishing. An almost endless trail system renowned for mountain biking and hiking, is also at your fingertips. Winter brings champaign powder and opportunities for Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, and curling. Merritt enjoys a thriving arts community, with an art gallery located in Merritt’s historic Court House, and an active Arts Council, the communities’ arts are flourishing.

Practice Details:

Merritt BC: Where professional diversity meets a recreational lifestyle
With humility, we acknowledge that the practice of family medicine will take place on the unceded, traditional, and ancestral territories of the Syilx and Nlaka’pamux peoples, within the biodiverse Nicola Valley. Merritt is centrally located on the Coquihalla Highway between the Fraser Valley, Kamloops, and Kelowna. At an elevation of 595 meters, this rural city enjoys snowy winters and hot, sunny summers. There are endless wilderness trails, campsites, lakes, rivers, and forests for four season outdoor recreation plus an indoor Aquatic Centre. The town enjoys a steady influx of people relocating from urban areas attracted to the quality of life, affordable housing, accessibility to services, and abundance of leisure opportunities.

Seeking a physician to join a 4-physician clinic that is fully computerized and paperless with a MedAccess EMR and compensation model at the discretion of the practicing physician. The office has 6 examination rooms plus a procedure room for minor procedures. Office hours are M-F 0830-1730, with flexible work hours and virtual care options. The clinic is in the downtown core, less than 2 km from the Nicola Valley Hospital. Local physicians with hospital privileges rotate through inpatient call, currently 1/6. Emergency department (ED) shifts are 24 hours and there is an expectation of two shifts per month. ED contract negotiations will hopefully allow 12-hour shifts in the near future. Physicians participate in the FPSC Long-Term Care Initiative at Coquihalla Gillis House, a local residential long-term care facility managed by Interior Health with 74 beds, which is within walking distance from the clinic.

Merritt is in the process of developing a primary care network service plan to add family physicians, nurse practitioners, and allied health professionals to the community over the coming years. Rural generalists in Merritt have the opportunity to practice family medicine while advancing skills in the emergency department and leading local health programs. Trade an hour per day in urban city traffic for 2 extra weeks per year to play outside in a rural community.

Professional development and rural supports may include:
• NAVIG8 Emerging Physician Leaders Program for physicians interested in leadership roles
• Rural Physician Mentoring Program for physicians new to rural practice
• Rural Education Action Plan (REAP) CME program for skills upgrading and advanced training
• Real Time Virtual Support pathways (RTVS) for immediate specialist consultations
• Rural and Remote Division of Family Practice membership and local Chapter support

For those interested, Leadership Development Opportunities are available with Interior Health’s NAVIG8 Program. The NAVIG8 Emerging Physician Leaders Program is a comprehensive leadership development program designed specifically for physicians to address the practical leadership knowledge, behaviours and skills that high potential, emerging medical leaders require to step into leadership roles early in their careers.

Apply today to live work and play where others only vacation! It's better here!

Qualifications:

• Doctorate in Medicine
• Eligible for CPSBC License Current CMPA

Call Schedule:

Hours of work: No Details
On call requirements: TBD

Compensation:

Nicola Valley Hospital and Health Centre:

Merritt currently has 6 physicians working in clinics located in our downtown centre.  Clinics are less than 2 kilometers from the hospital.  The clinics service a population base of approximately 20,000 people.

Nicola Valley Hospital and Health Centre is a Level 1 Community Hospital with a modern 24-hour Emergency Room. Onsite quarters are available in a separate wing of the hospital and includes a Queen sized bed, shower and washroom. This facility is a 12 bed department with 1 trauma bay with 2 beds, 6 monitored beds, 3 fast track beds and 1 fast track chair in the Emergency Room. The hospital also provides inpatient and outpatient services for Laboratory, Electrocardiogram (ECG) Service, Radiology, Physiotherapy, and Spirometry. Additional services include Home Care, Home Support, Public Health, Urology, Diabetes and Dietician Teaching, as well as Mental Health services (OAT). There is Residential Care facility locate only 3 kilometers from the Hospital.

Kamloops is the nearest tertiary referral site. Hospital transportation is supported by an Ambulance Station that is located on same property as the hospital. In emergency situations, a helicopter and the High Acuity Response Team (HART) are dispatched from Kamloops to transport the patient from the site to an advanced centre for additional acute care.