British Columbia working at attracting doctors and nurses from U.S.

The Province is taking new steps to attract more doctors and nurses from the U.S. by fast-tracking credential recognition and launching a co-ordinated, targeted recruitment campaign.

In 2024, the B.C. government says it connected more people to a primary care provider than ever before.

Minister of Health, Josie Osborne says with the uncertainty and chaos happening south of the border, there is an unprecedented opportunity to attract skilled health-care workers interested in moving to Canada.

The Province is working with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC on a direct process to enable U.S.-trained doctors, who hold American certification, to become fully licensed in B.C. without the need for further assessment, examination or training. The Province says the move will remove barriers faced by U.S. doctors on their path to become licensed and begin practising medicine in the province, following similar changes recently adopted by Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. 

The government expects the changes to be implemented in the next few months, following consultations underway on proposed bylaw changes.

The Province is also working with the BC College of Nurses and Midwives to make it faster and easier for U.S.-registered nurses to work in British Columbia. 

The government says it is immediately ramping up targeted recruitment efforts, followed by a  co-ordinated marketing campaign in the states of Washington, Oregon and California this spring, highlighting job opportunities in the areas they are most needed, such as cancer care and emergency departments, while promoting rural communities facing worker shortages.