The number of foreign-educated nurses newly registered in British Columbia this year has more than doubled from last year, as the province makes progress on a $1-billion, multi-year plan to attract more health-care workers.
The first yearly update on B.C.'s health human resources strategy says 578 internationally educated nurses became fully registered in the province in 2023.
The province says "thousands" more international nurses are working toward getting registered and will be getting the required clinical experience next year.
The update says the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives has registered 6,258 new nurses this year, including registered nurses and nurse practitioners, and has seen an increase of more than 14,000 net new nurse registrants since 2017.
It says 666 international medical graduates were registered with the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons this year.
The government says its focuses next year will include expanding the pool of travelling nurses, creating a peer support and mentoring program for health workers and building opportunities for high school students interested in a career in health.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2023
The Canadian Press
