In Clearwater, there is a tremendous amount of pride for the community and the health-care services it offers.
“It’s a fun place to work with really great colleagues, with great patients, and a community that’s very grateful for their health care,” says family physician Dr. Kara Perdue, who also works in the emergency room at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital. “We’re always looking for more people to join the team in order to expand that team and bring in new and fresh ideas to make this an even better place to live and work.
“The team we have here at the hospital and at our clinic is fantastic. It’s bright, smiling faces every time you come in. It’s a fantastic team to work with who work exceptionally hard, but are also able to have a lot of fun in their work. These are people who are going to be your friends and also your colleagues.”
Interior Health’s Clinical Operations Manager for Clearwater and Blue River Heidi Schilling touts the great diversity of work and opportunities to master a multitude of skills.
“Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital is a small rural hospital. We have six in-patient beds, we have a fully-functioning ER with a trauma bay,” she notes. “We’ve also got long-term care at the site [Forest View Place], with 20 long-term care residents.”
Home of Wells Gray Provincial Park
Clearwater is best known for being the home of Wells Gray Provincial Park.
“We have the beautiful backdrop of Wells Gray Provincial Park right at our back door with the gorgeous Helmcken Falls. There are dozens of other water falls, endless hikes with no shortage of adventure in the area,” Dr. Perdue said.
Housing affordability
Dr. Perdue says Clearwater is also an incredibly affordable place to live and raise a family. The median price for a home is $445,000 - close to a million dollars less than the average for a single-family home in the Lower Mainland.
“We’re not facing quite the same rent or housing increases that a lot of the bigger cities are," she said. "You certainly can get more bang for your buck here. You can get yourself a beautiful property with easy access to the lakes, the rivers, the waterfalls and hiking trails, while still being five minutes from town.”
Recruitment incentives
In addition to the beautiful nature and encouraging work environment, there are unique rural incentives offered by Interior Health and the province of B.C.
- $10,000 signing bonus for eligible applicants committing to hard to fill vacancies in select rural communities
- Relocation allowance for eligible applicants
- Eligible employees can benefit from the B.C. Loan Forgiveness Program with up to 20 per cent of the loan paid per year over a five-year period
Make your move to Clearwater
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