B.C. is modifying its entry requirements to fast-track certification of U.S. health care professionals interested in working in the province.  

鈥淲ith the uncertainty and chaos happening south of our border, we have an unprecedented opportunity to attract skilled health-care workers interested in moving to Canada,鈥� said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health during a media conference Tuesday, March 11. 

It should take about six weeks for a doctor to be able to practice in B.C. and just weeks for nurses, Osborne said. 

There are presently 400,000 people in B.C. trying to find a doctor or nurse practitioner, she confirmed.

To attract U.S. professionals, the province will target Washington, Oregon and California. 

Osborne said in recent weeks the ministry has seen more U.S. doctors and nurses express interest in working in B.C., something she added does not come as a surprise. 

鈥淲hether it鈥檚 that their government is withdrawing from the World Health Organization, cutting public services or attacking reproductive rights, health professionals in the U.S. have a good reason to be alarmed.鈥� 

The ministry has been working with the College of Physicians and Surgeons in B.C. on the program, which will ensure doctors trained in the U.S., and who hold certification from the American Board of Medical Specialties, can become fully licensed in B.C. without further assessment, examination or training. 

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 B.C. 

Osborne said similar changes were recently adopted in Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.  Changes have also been made in B.C. to immediately recognize the credentials of physicians trained in other provinces. 

B.C. should be ready to accept U.S. health care professionals within a couple of months, she added. 

The province, she added, has been working to recruit and train more family doctors and nurse practitioners to meet the increasing demand for primary care driven by B.C.鈥檚 growing and aging population.

There are 1,001 new family doctors in B.C. since the launch of the new physician payment model in 2023. Since 2018, the number of nurse practitioners has almost tripled in B.C. to more than 1,200, including 178 new nurse practitioners registered in 2024.