By Times Chronicle Staff

More than 1,400 US healthcare workers are seeking employment in BC as the province makes it easier for them to transfer their credentials here, and steps up its recruitment campaign south of the border.

The moves come at a time the US healthcare system is increasingly under attack by the Trump administration and his appointees.

This number represents a doubling of applications since May 2025. In making the announcement Josie Osborne, Minister of Health said more than 140 qualified US doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners and allied health professionals have accepted job offers to date.

“With growing uncertainty in the US, increasing numbers of American health-care workers are drawn to BC as a place that believes in science, protects reproductive rights and provides universal health-care coverage,” the ministry said.

“Health-care workers want to be in a system where their skills are valued, science is respected and their focus is on providing care – not fighting with for-profit insurance companies,” said Osborne said.

“That’s why we’re seeing incredible momentum with hundreds of American health-care workers on their way to BC and some already here. For people in British Columbia, this means shorter wait times, stronger team-based care and better health services in communities across the province.”

The Province launched a recruitment marketing campaign targeting health-care workers in Washington, Oregon and select cities in California during June and July 2025. The campaign continues through advertisements placed in academic publications in the US through September.

Since the recruitment campaign began in March, more than 2,950 health-care workers have expressed interest in moving to British Columbia by visiting the BC Health Careers website.

“Our family made the move to Kamloops this summer and we already feel at home,” said Dr. Olga Decker, a US doctor who moved to Kamloops in July 2025. “The process was smooth and supportive. Health Match BC and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC made it possible for me to start practising quickly. I’m grateful for the warm Canadian welcome and I’m excited to build a life here, while continuing to serve patients and provide the best medical care at Royal Inland Hospital.”

Among the measures introduced to break down barriers to US health-care workers practising in BC include:

  • a new, expedited credential recognition process for US-trained and certified nurses. A total of 535 US nurses and 104 nurse practitioners have successfully registered with the BC Colleges of Nurses and Midwives to practise in BC.
  • The College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC implemented bylaw changes to make it easier for US-trained doctors to practise in BC without the need for further assessment, examination or training. Since the changes 29 US-trained physicians have been registered through the college.
  • For doctors trained outside of Canada and the US, the Province has eliminated the need for an additional exam, the licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada.
  • The College of Physicians and Surgeons is also proposing a bylaw change to further streamline the registration and license process for certain specialties from jurisdictions where training is recognized and approved by Canada’s national certification bodies.

“Since February, I have been working with HealthMatch BC, and they’ve made the process of moving from Alaska to Nakusp very smooth and made me feel valued and welcomed at every step,” said Nickol Dameron, a US nurse who will relocate to Nakusp in November 2025.

“I am so thrilled to be joining my colleagues and providing care to my community at Arrow Lakes Hospital starting in late November.”