Grow your career

British Columbia’s publicly funded health-care system has many job opportunities for registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, and licensed practical nurses in a variety of practice settings. Nurses can choose where they want to work and whether they want to work full-time or part-time. In B.C., nurses can build a career that fits their goals.

Health Match BC works with public health employers to help internationally educated nurses find jobs and connect with employers across the province.

Register with Health Match BC 

There’s never been a better time to join B.C.’s public health system

British Columbia has welcomed many people from diverse backgrounds in our communities, coming for all types of health care positions. 

Come to B.C. to experience welcoming communities, supportive work environments, competitive compensation, and nature, right at your doorstep.

Descriptive video transcript

Video title: BC Health Careers – Practicing as a nurse in British Columbia

[Describer] Clips of Shelly working with colleagues, then talking on-screen. 

[Shelly] When I first came to British Columbia, my plan was to stay here for a one-year travel contract, and that was 20 years ago. 

[Text] Shelly, Nurse and Patient Care Coordinator RN, BSN 

[Shelly] It’s a very long contract [chuckles]. 

[Describer] A view of Vancouver skyrises along Sunset Beach. 

[Narrator] British Columbia has appealed to internationally trained healthcare professionals for decades. Shelly moved from Australia to Vancouver.  

[Text] 13,320 km to BC 

[Narrator] Now she’s a veteran of working in our patient-centered universal healthcare system. 

[Describer] Clips of Shelly working. 

[Text] Patient-centred universal health care. 

[Describer] Clips of Shelly talking on-screen, working with colleagues using different machines, speaking with other nurses. 

[Shelly] I was looking for the most similar healthcare system to what I was working in Australia, and the Canadian healthcare system seemed to be the most similar. I actually moved back to Australia after a year and then realised that what I had in my ICU at Surrey, the family, the benefits packages, the wages, the opportunities for growth in my career, people I started working with, solidified where I should be. During the 20 years of being at the hospital I’m in, at Surrey, they’ve provided me with opportunities to become an educator, clinical nurse educator of the ICU or a nurse clinician. I was a manager of an oncology unit and a 48-bed medical unit for six months. I was an after-hours manager. So now a PCC, which is the patient care coordinator. So about six jobs in 20 years, but all opportunities I probably would not have elsewhere. 

[Text] All opportunities I probably would not have elsewhere. 

[Describer] Visuals of nurses working together, cars driving along the highway with a blurred rearview mirror in the foreground, Shelly driving in a rural area. 

[Narrator] Nurses are supported by interprofessional teams and regulatory organizations like the BC College of Nurses and Midwives to maintain clear standards. And the province is one of the first jurisdictions in Canada to implement minimum nurse-to-patient ratios. 

[Describer] Clips of Shelly talking on-screen, then playing basketball and spending time with her family. 

[Shelly] There’s now a program called HealthMatch BC that can help, and it’s very quick and efficient to get your application in. When I first moved here, I didn’t actually know anybody at all. So the people I went to work with became friends, they’ve come so close as family.  

[Describer] Shelly spending time with colleagues, then talking on-screen. 

[Shelly] One of them we’ve travelled the world with. One of them was my bridesmaid. I’ve been in the same unit in the same hospital for 20 years. And it’s mainly because of the people and the colleagues I have to work with. 

[Describer] Visuals of Shelly laughing with colleagues, enjoying time in nature, talking on-screen, and holding her dog. 

[Narrator] British Columbia recently streamlined the process to help nurses get settled and start working with their teams sooner. For Shelley and many others, the decision to move in the reception within British Columbia has been positive. 

[Shelly] Take that opportunity. You never know where it will take you. It will be hard for the first few months, but the people you get to work with and the patients you get to care for will make you probably stay for the rest of your life. 

[Text] Connect with a Health Recruitment Specialist. 

B.C. news for nurses

British Columbia is taking action to attract doctors, nurses from U.S.

The Province is taking new steps to attract more doctors and nurses from the U.S. by fast-tracking credential recognition and launching a co-ordinated, targeted recruitment campaign.

Learn more about B.C. taking action to attract doctors and nurses from the U.S.

Improving care with nurse-to-patient ratios

When nurse-to-patient ratios are imbalanced, the quality of care goes down. That’s why we’re setting minimum ratios for acute care settings and creating new incentives to recruit and retain more nurses. This means better working conditions for nurses and better care for patients.

Learn more about improving care with nurse-to-patient ratios

Helping more nurses practice in B.C., faster

Too many barriers have prevented many nurses from entering or returning to work in the health-care system. Removing these obstacles means more nurses can work in the field they love, and people in B.C. can get better access to the health-care they deserve.

Learn more about helping more nurses practice in B.C., faster

Developing a pool of travel-ready nurses

A team of nurses who can travel into rural/remote communities means people can get access to health-care without travelling long distances.

Learn more about developing a pool of travel-ready nurses

Supporting international nurses into B.C.’s health system

To meet the increasing demand for nurses in British Columbia, the Province is making it easier for eligible internationally educated nurses (IENs) to enter the province’s health system so they can support British Columbians’ health-care needs sooner.

Learn more about how B.C. is supporting IENs