B.C.'s recruitment campaign to attract U.S. healthcare workers yielded approximately 780 applications, with 188 of those coming from doctors, as of July 16.
The campaign to bring doctors, nurses, and other health professionals northward began in March, followed by a June advertising blitz targeting workers in Washington, Oregon, and California.
The B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives made changes to streamline the process, allowing nurses to transfer qualifications without a third-party assessment. It is collaborating with counterparts in the U.S. to access databases to verify employment and educational information.
On July 7, the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons approved similar bylaw changes to allow U.S.-trained doctors to become fully licensed in B.C. without further assessment if they already hold certification from one of several American accrediting bodies.
This clears the way for doctors to be registered in a matter of weeks. In the nine days since the changes were made, B.C. has received 29 applications from U.S. doctors.
The college is also assessing whether to change its bylaws further to streamline registration and licensure for internationally trained doctors from other countries.
"With these changes, we expect the number of job applications to grow even further," Health Minister Josie Osborne said at a news conference in Vancouver on July 16.
Health-care workers seeking to move to B.C. still need to go through the federal immigration process.
Osborne said the goal is to attract health-care workers who are opposed to the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump.
"We saw an opportunity that we just couldn't miss, a chance to recruit some of the best and the brightest people who would hit the ground running and make an immediate impact for people in British Columbia," she said.
More to come.
