The Health Ministry says it's seeing success in its campaign to recruit U.S.-trained nurses from south of the border.
The coordinated recruitment campaign, which was first announced in March 2025, has reportedly seen nearly 1,200 nurses and doctors and allied health professionals from the U.S. express interest in coming to work in B.C. The ministry says that broken down, that's 573 physicians, 413 nurses, 133 nurse practitioners and 39 allied health professionals, according to a news release Monday (May 12).
The ministry says a streamlined credential recognition is cutting wait times. Registrations now only take a few days compared to the previous average of four months.
Health Minister Josie Osborne said that with the "uncertainty and chaos happening south of our border," this is an opportunity to attract skilled health-care workers B.C. needs to strengthen public healthcare.
Since launching the new process, the province says applications from U.S.-trained nurses has increased by 127 per cent.
The B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives is leveraging common systems and exams to make the registration process more efficient and nurses can now apply directly to the college without first going through a third-party assessment organization. The college can access a database to review the education, exam results, employment and registration of nurses who apply.
Premier David Eby said American health-care professionals are "increasingly drawn to B.C. as a place that supports science, protects reproductive rights and takes care of people no matter how much money they have in their bank account."
The province plans, in early June, to launch a targeted U.S. marketing campaign in parts of the country with the highest interest in moving to B.C., including the states of Washington and Oregon, and select cities in California.
