The Vancouver Division of Family Practice estimates that there are over 200 physicians in Vancouver who are expected to retire over the next 5 years. The Recruitment and Retention team has programming and supports available to guide physicians through this process. When a retiring physician starts working with our team, there are two primary paths we can follow. The first path is, if the retirement date is far enough away (6+ months), our team will recruit for a new physician to take over the practice. To date, our team has facilitated 10 practice takeovers. If a physician’s retirement date is sooner or if we are unsuccessful in recruiting someone to take over, we can help to transition patients to new care. For Vancouver-based patients, we will transition them to accepting physicians within the city. For patients living outside the city of Vancouver, we will refer them to the supports offered by their local Division. If you are interested in working with our team to transition out of practice, please contact us at recruitmentvan@divisionsbc.ca.
Sample Notification Letter Templates
The CPSBC recommends that retiring physicians notify their patients and colleagues at least 3 months in advance of their departure. Below are two of the templates included in the How to Retire Guide. - Patient Notification Letter – This letter template was written for physicians who will be working with the VDoFP to transition their patients to new care. Physicians who are not working with our team, may still use this template but should remove the paragraph that speaks to our support. The PDF version of this template explains how to use the fillable Word copy.
Specialist/Lab Notification Letter
Retiring physicians are advised to notify labs and specialists of their retirement date. Among the information included in this letter should be: your last day of practice and where to send results after that date. The PDF version of this template explains how to use the fillable Word copy.
How to Retire Guide
The Vancouver Division created this 52-page guide to help family doctors map out a plan for their retirement.
Within this guide you will find information on:
- Personal Retirement Planning
- Practice Retirement Planning
- Practice Information Workbook
- Practice Takeover/Transition Guide
- Transitioning Patients
- Leaving Practice
- File Storage
- Sample Letters & Notices
Click here or on the image to download a PDF copy.
For more information on retirement planning or closing your practice contact Martina Nova at mnova@divisionsbc.ca.