B.C. takes advantage of U.S. 'chaos,' trade war to attract more doctors and nurses

British Columbia's health minister Josie Osborne says "now is the time" for American doctors and nurses to move to the province as it fast tracks recognition of their credentials during an escalating trade war between Canada and the United States. Osborne, speaks during a news conference in Burnaby, B.C., on Monday, June 10, 2024. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)

British Columbia’s health minister says “now is the time” for American doctors and nurses to move to the province as it fast tracks recognition of their credentials during an escalating trade war between Canada and the United States.

Josie Osborne says the “chaos” happening south of the border is an opportunity for B.C. to attract skilled health-care workers interested in moving to Canada.

She says the province is working with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC on a direct process to enable U.S.-trained doctors to become fully licensed in B.C. without the need for further assessment, examination or training.

By removing various barriers for physicians who hold a certification from the American Board of Medical Specialities, including the requirement to write Canadian exams, the province will expedite the time it takes to get an American-trained family doctor working in B.C. down to just six weeks, from at least five to eight months, she said.

A statement from Osborne’s ministry says the changes are expected in the next few months, following consultations on proposed bylaw changes.

The province is similarly working with the BC College of Nurses and Midwives to make it faster and easier for American registered nurses to work in B.C.

Osborne says B.C. is also ramping up its efforts to recruit the U.S. health workers, including a targeted campaign in Washington, Oregon and California this spring.

“Whether it’s because their federal 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,” she said Tuesday.

“This provides an opportunity for B.C. to send a clear message to doctors and nurses who are working in the U.S. Now is the time to come to British Columbia. We will welcome you to our beautiful province where together, we can strengthen public health care … and build healthy communities,” Osborne told a news conference.

There are 1,001 new family doctors in B.C. since the launch of the current physician payment model in 2023, and the number of nurse practitioners has almost tripled since 2018, including 128 new nurse practitioners registered last year.

The province says about 675,000 people have been matched with a family doctor or nurse practitioner since the launch of its primary care strategy in 2018, including a record number of 250,000 people attached to a primary care provider last year.

About 400,000 B.C. residents are still waiting to be matched with a family doctor through the province’s Health Connect Registry, Osborne said.

Dr. Jennifer Lush, with the BC College of Family Physicians, welcomes the streamlining and recruitment plans, but says other steps are needed to sustain foreign trained physicians.

“To reduce specialist wait times such that physicians, whether they come from the U.S. or elsewhere, are able to deliver the kind of care British Columbians need and deserve,” said Lush.

This report by Brenna Owen of The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2025.

With files from Robert Buffam