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SOUND OFF

SOUND OFF: Recruiting doctors to build a stronger system

Jul 24, 2025 | 10:30 AM

BRITISH COLUMBIA IS ONE of the greatest places on earth to live and work, and our top resource is our hard-working and talented professionals across all sectors, including health care.

As with many regions across the country and the world, we have been experiencing a shortage of health care workers, and we’ve been laser-focused on attracting more talented professionals to our province.

Our government has worked hard to make sure we have inclusive workplaces with improved working conditions across the health care sector, and that health care professionals coming from other countries are able to have their credentials recognized more quickly to start their life in beautiful B.C.

Our work is paying off.

B.C. has received nearly 780 job applications from U.S. doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses and allied health professionals from May to June 2025 alone.

We know that for British Columbians, having accessible and reliable health care is one of their top concerns, and that’s why we have been doubling down on our efforts to recruit more health care professionals from the United States.

Since our recruitment efforts began, we’ve had over 2,250 health care workers who have expressed interest. This includes 827 doctors, 851 nurses, 254 nurse practitioners, and 256 allied health professionals. We can now see that this interest, and our work to raise awareness about what a wonderful place to live our province is, is resulting in hundreds of job applications from qualified health care professionals.

On July 7, 2025, it became faster for qualified international trained doctors from the U.S. and select countries to register to practice in B.C. We’re excited to welcome our neighbours who want to come help strengthen our health care sector and contribute to the health and well-being of British Columbians with open arms.

But we’re not stopping there – the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia has recently begun public consultation on proposed bylaw changes that would see internationally trained doctors from additional international jurisdictions obtaining licenses in B.C. even more quickly and efficiently.

We know that strengthening our health care system requires a thorough and holistic approach. As the new Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, I understand that a strong healthcare system begins with investing in people and opportunities for personal development close to home. That’s why we are committed to training more individuals right here in B.C. for vital health care roles and preparing to open the first new medical school in Western Canada in over 50 years at Simon Fraser University’s Surrey campus. These efforts are a key part of our work to ensure a more resilient and accessible healthcare system for all British Columbians.

We remain focused on building a stronger healthcare system for everyone in our province.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.