Province says more than 400 U.S.-trained health workers have come to work B.C.

More than 400 U.S.-trained health professionals have accepted offers to work in British Columbia since the province launched a recruitment campaign last March, B.C.’s Health Ministry said Tuesday.

The ministry said the total includes 89 doctors, 260 nurses, 42 nurse practitioners and 23 allied health professionals.

Health Minister Josie Osborne said the U.S. health professionals were hired by clinics and hospitals across the province, including Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Port Alberni, Kelowna, Terrace and Nakusp.

The province said B.C. has received more than 2,750 job applications from U.S. health professionals as of this month, while more than 1,300 have registered to practice in B.C.

B.C.’s recruitment efforts in the U.S. have included a $5-million marketing campaign launched last June, with ads in Washington, Oregon and California.

The B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. have also taken steps to streamline their registration processes for U.S.-trained health professionals.

The province has a website that helps connect U.S.-trained health professionals with jobs in B.C.

Premier David Eby said the challenges facing the health-care system are not unique to B.C., citing a shortage of health-care workers, mental health and addictions issues, and an aging population.

“We want [healthcare workers] to come up, eyes open to the challenges we face here in B.C., but also to understand the huge advantages that we offer compared with many American health care environments,” said Eby. “You are able to make the right medical decision for the patient without consideration for the patient going into debt for the rest of their lives or having a patient turn down treatment that they need.”

He also pointed to B.C.’s support for public health measures such as vaccines and birth control.

Dr. Ianto West, who participated in Tuesday’s announcement, is a U.S. psychologist who moved from Seattle to Vancouver last July to work at B.C. Children’s Hospital.

“I don’t know if I can explain how much of a difference it is to sit with a patient to create a treatment plan and not have to think about how insurance is going to impact their care. That used to take up so much of our time, so much of our thinking, so much of our triaging,” said West.

The B.C. Health Ministry said, as of January, 352,000 people in British Columbia are registered with the Health Connect Registry to be connected with a family doctor.