Eby, Osborne boast success recruiting hundreds of U.S. nurses, doctors
Posted March 17, 2026 10:10 am.
Last Updated March 17, 2026 7:09 pm.
After a year of targeted efforts, the B.C. government says it has recruited hundreds of health-care workers from the United States.
Between March 2025 and January 2026, Premier David Eby says more than 400 health-care professionals have accepted job offers in the province’s health-care system.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!“And that includes 89 doctors, 260 nurses, 42 nurse-practitioners, and 23 allied-health professionals,” Eby explained.
He says more workers are on their way and will be distributed across the province and health authorities.
Health Minister Josie Osborne says B.C. has received more than 2,750 job applications from U.S. health-care workers in the last year.
Before applying for jobs in the province, Osborne says many choose to start by registering with local regulatory colleges to become licensed — a process she says the government streamlined in many ways.
“We’ve already registered more than 1,300 to be able to work here,” said Osborne.
The 400 newly recruited professionals have joined health authorities across several regions, including:
- 105 health-care workers at Fraser Health,
- 83 at Interior Health,
- 97 at Island Health,
- 31 at Northern Health,
- 72 at Vancouver Coastal Health and Providence Health,
- 4 at the First Nations Health Authority, and
- 22 at the Provincial Health Services Authority.
The update comes as the province’s health-care system deals with significant strain, including a shortage of OBGYNs that has prompted several temporary maternity unit closures at hospitals in Maple Ridge and White Rock, and emergency department closures.
