Physicians, review your insurance

Issue: BCMJ, vol. 66, No. 9, November 2024, News
By: Laura McLean

Suitable insurance is essential to your life as a physician. One of your most valuable assets is your ability to earn income to fund your and your family’s lifestyle. In addition to your income covering today’s expenses, you must self-fund your retirement. Insurance coverage that continues to meet your needs throughout your career provides the peace of mind that you’ll be able to cover your family’s current and future needs, even if something unexpected happens.

Too often, physicians purchase insurance at major professional milestones, such as graduation from medical school or the start of practice, and then forget about it for years. Life is busy, but your insurance needs change as your life and practice change over time. We typically recommend that you review your insurance with an advisor every few years or after significant changes in your lifestyle.

Some of the life events that should prompt an insurance review:

  • Purchase or sale of a home.
  • Birth or adoption of a child.
  • Marriage, divorce, or separation.
  • Start and completion of medical school.
  • Start and completion of residency or fellowship.
  • After your first 2 full years in practice, when your income is established.
  • A significant change in your income.
  • Incorporation.
  • Joining or opening a clinic or changing your practice type.
  • Moving out of the province or country.
  • Retiring or winding down your practice.

Your insurance coverage is a lifeline for you, your family, and your practice throughout your life. To ensure it continues to meet your changing situation and needs, it’s crucial to review your coverage with a licensed, noncommissioned Doctors of BC insurance advisor. Their expertise will guide you in making the right decisions for your needs.

Ready to review your insurance? 


Use our online booking tool to schedule a Phone or Virtual Insurance Review. If you prefer, contact us directly at (604) 638-7914, toll-free at 1 800 665-2262 ext. 7914, or email insurance@doctorsofbc.ca.
We’re here to help.
—Laura McLean
Associate Insurance Advisor, Members’ Products and Services

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Laura McLean. Physicians, review your insurance. BCMJ, Vol. 66, No. 9, November, 2024, Page(s) - News.


Above is the information needed to cite this article in your paper or presentation. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommends the following citation style, which is the now nearly universally accepted citation style for scientific papers:
Halpern SD, Ubel PA, Caplan AL, Marion DW, Palmer AM, Schiding JK, et al. Solid-organ transplantation in HIV-infected patients. N Engl J Med. 2002;347:284-7.

About the ICMJE and citation styles

The ICMJE is small group of editors of general medical journals who first met informally in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1978 to establish guidelines for the format of manuscripts submitted to their journals. The group became known as the Vancouver Group. Its requirements for manuscripts, including formats for bibliographic references developed by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), were first published in 1979. The Vancouver Group expanded and evolved into the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which meets annually. The ICMJE created the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals to help authors and editors create and distribute accurate, clear, easily accessible reports of biomedical studies.

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