Your Simplified Guide to the BC Healthcare System

It has always been important to be an empowered patient or caregiver, but likely never more so than right now. If we are or someone we care about is seriously ill, we have to rely on the healthcare system -- but it is also on life-support and we must know how to do the heavy lifting in our own care.

Healthcare in British Columbia is nothing if not complicated. General practitioners, specialists, waiting lists, residential care, and everything in between seem to all exist independently of anything else. Knowing where to turn can feel like something you need a medical degree for, or at least, it can feel like an art.

This step-by-step guide for those who suddenly find themselves with serious illness or injury in a medical world that moves too fast and seems to speak another language. Whether you are self-advocating, or advocating for a loved one, and if you are facing confusion or hard healthcare choices in British Columbia, this guide is for you.

Connie Jorsvik, BSN was a registered nurse for 25 years, 10 of which were spent in general surgery and high-risk maternity, and the other 15 years in cardiac medical surgical nursing. She also spent 3 years as a Specialty Recruiter the largest health authority in BC, recruiting nurses and new graduates for all positions. 5 years as a health insurance broker with Sunlife and London Life, specializing in Critical Care and Long-term Care insurance. Since 2013 Connie has been the sole proprietor of Patient Pathways, the largest independent healthcare navigation and advocacy business of its kind in Western Canada. The cornerstone of her business is Advance Care Planning: planning ahead through conversations and documents for serious illness and end-of-life.

Connie Jorsvik's profile page