General Surgeon

Vancouver Coastal Health; Powell River; On-site; CAD 240,000 - 380,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

Training & leadership development

Wellness supports

Recognition programs

Job summary

Vancouver Coastal Health seeks a General Surgeon for qathet General Hospital in Powell River. The role offers a broad general surgery practice, including endoscopy, ambulatory care, and operating room procedures, within a supportive rural surgical group.

The team emphasizes teaching, mentorship of residents, and a balanced schedule with on-call rotation. Candidates with 10+ years rural surgical experience are strongly preferred.

Qualifications

• Significant surgical experience (10+ years), rural setting preferred.
• Ability to collaborate in a small surgical team.
• Willingness to mentor and teach residents.

Responsibilities

• Perform general surgery including endoscopy and OR procedures.
• Follow a 6-week cycle with 4 weeks on and 2 weeks off call or hospital work.
• Teach and mentor 1–2 general surgery residents each year.
• Collaborate with MOAs and a small team of surgeons in a rural setting.

Skills

Rural surgery experience

General surgery

Mentorship

Education

FRCPC (Royal College)

CPSBC Full licence

CMPA mandatory

ACLS - Desired

ATLS - Desired

Job description

Job Title

General Surgeon

Work Site

qathet General Hospital

Status

Permanent

Start Date

As Soon As Possible

Compensation Type

Fee-for-Service

Come work as a General Surgeon with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH)! We are looking for a general surgeon to replace a retiring surgeon on our team in Powell River. Situated in the North Sunshine Coast, with a surrounding population of approximately 25,000, the town is a popular summer tourist destination known for its natural beauty, vibrant festivals (such as PRISMA and Kathaumix), and a growing food scene. With 32 lakes and innumerable rivers in the immediate surrounds, life in the community is maximized by spending time in the outdoors. Residents and visitors alike enjoy hiking, biking, kayaking, climbing, fishing, and foraging in the varied natural landscapes that surround us.

qathet General Hospital is a 33-bed hospital with a wonderful group of primary care physicians and specialists including obstetrics, ophthalmology, internal medicine, GP anesthesia and GP\IM, and oncology. We provide full service general surgery including endoscopy surgical services. This opportunity is to join a team of 2 other surgeons with a well-established office and 3 lovely and experienced MOAs. The ideal candidate is someone who is passionate about general surgery, looking for a broad surgical practice in a supportive surgical group and welcoming community setting. Significant surgical experience (10+ years), especially in a rural setup, would be an asset.

The work balance comprises office, endoscopy, ambulatory, and operating room procedures. Our schedule is currently arranged in 6-week cycles with 4 weeks on and 2 weeks without call or scheduled hospital based work. During on-call weeks, there is an average of 2 days of endoscopy, 1 half day of ambulatory, and 1 full OR day alongside clinic each week. Calls are divided in 1-week increments from Monday to the following Sunday. The schedule is collaboratively developed annually among the three surgeons and offers flexibility to accommodate vacations and other important dates. Additionally, we have good support over key holidays and other periods that will continue. Our general surgery practice also hosts 1-2 general surgery residents each year, providing opportunities for teaching and mentorship.

Job posting is for a position covered by the Provincial Health Officer’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination order and selected applicant(s) must comply with the requirements of the order.

May be eligible for additional remuneration in accordance with the Rural Subsidiary Agreement (RSA) including: Retention Premium 12.32%. Retention Flat Fee $19,092. Relocation Funding Available $15,000 max. Recruitment Incentive $15,000.Rural Incentives are subject to change and current rates are confirmed at time of offer. Candidates with a BC or Canada student loan may be eligible for BC or Canada loan forgiveness programs for those living and working in rural community.

Start date: ASAP or negotiable

As per Ministry of Health policy, all health care workers working in publicly-funded health care facilities are required to report their past receipt of certain vaccines or history of certain infections. Collecting these records will allow for offering of any missing vaccines, and for appropriate actions to be taken in the event of any future exposure to a communicable disease or during outbreaks. For all new hires and appointments to Vancouver Coastal Health, you will be asked to provide this information as part of the onboarding process.

WHY JOIN VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH?

VCH is a world class innovator in medical care, research and teaching, delivering service to more than one million BC residents. At VCH, we embrace thinking boldly, taking smart risks, and "going first" when we believe it will lead to the best possible outcomes for patients and their families. We invite you to join us in creating healthy lives in healthy communities by showcasing our passion for care, connection to the communities we serve and our culture of teamwork that makes VCH a great place to work.

• Comprehensive health benefits package, including MSP, extended health and dental and municipal pension plan
• Grow your career with employer-paid training and leadership development opportunities
• Wellness supports, including counselling, critical incident and innovative wellness services are available to employees and their immediate families
• Award-winning recognition programs to honour staff, medical staff and volunteers

At Vancouver Coastal Health, our vision of healthy lives in healthy communities inspires us and our values and pillars guide us. We support equitable practices, diverse teams and inclusive environments, which are vital to creating welcoming spaces where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and feel supported. We encourage applications from equity-deserving communities, including Indigenous Peoples and members of racialized groups, people with disabilities and people of all gender identities and expressions and sexual orientation.

Vancouver Coastal Health is proud to be recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers, BC’s Top Employers, Canada’s Best Diversity Employers and Canada's Top Employers for Young People in 2026.

Thank you for your interest in Vancouver Coastal Health.

Education, Licensing, & Experience

• Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS)- Desired
• Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)- Desired
• Current College of Physicians of BC (CPSBC)- Full
• Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA)- Mandatory
• Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada (FRCPC) - Mandatory