Eby makes pitch to American nurses, saying Trump's loss is B.C.'s gain

Uncertainty in the United States under the administration of President Donald Trump means opportunities for British Columbia as it seeks to recruit much-needed nurses, Premier David Eby said.

Eby made a pitch to American nurses as the provincial government said it had shortened the time for them to register to work in B.C. from months to just a few days.

"In British Columbia, you will be valued. Your principles will be respected, and you will have the opportunity to provide care to people not based on how much they earn, but based on the level of care that they need," Eby told a news conference Monday.

"You will be part of building healthy communities in the best place on Earth, and you are very welcome here. I say, just briefly, President Trump's loss is British Columbia's gain."

British Columbia is launching a targeted U.S. marketing campaign in June in parts of the country where interest in moving to B.C. is the highest, including Washington and Oregon states and select cities in California.

Eby said that since B.C. launched its new process for U.S. nurses in early April, 177 people have applied and 113 have received registrations to practise.

American nurses can now apply to the BC College of Nurses and Midwives without first going through a third-party assessment organization. 

The province says collaboration with counterparts from the United States means the B.C. college can access a database to review the education, exam results, employment and registration history of nurses who apply. 

Recruiters around Canada have reported increased interest from American doctors considering moving to Canada since Trump's election last year.

Dr. Joss Reimer, president of the Canadian Medical Association, said last month that American doctors' growing interest in moving to Canada is linked to their frustration with private insurers, and discontent from obstetricians and family doctors worried about “political interference” in their practices.

Asked whether B.C. would be able to match the salary expectations of American health-care workers, Eby highlighted the lifestyle available in B.C.

"The overall interest that we're seeing from Americans coming to practice in British Columbia is the ability to practice in universal health care system, the ability to match lifestyle that they're looking for in more rural communities, often an outdoor lifestyle," he said.

"What we're seeing is Americans making that decision about how to balance the life that they want to live and where they want to live with the work that they do and the impact they have in community and for many Americans, the balance is coming up that they want to move to British Columbia." 

B.C. Conservative Opposition Leader John Rustad said he wondered why this level of recruitment wasn't happening years ago, and it "would have been nice" if health-care workers who refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine had been allowed back to work sooner.

Rustad said B.C. nurses are concerned about the amount of violence they deal with on the job, and would likely pass on those concerns to Americans considering a move.

"They want to be there to be able to help. They want to recruit people to come in. But you know, we have these problems in our system, and it is a failure of David Eby and this government to not tackle these issues, especially the violence that's going on," he said. 

The province announced in March that it was working with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC on a process to enable U.S.-trained doctors who hold certification from the American Board of Medical Specialties to become fully licensed in B.C. without the need for further assessment, examination or training.

On Monday, Eby said the government would have more to share about that work at a different announcement.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito