Thousands of doctors and nurses are leaving Canada to work in the United States, according to new research from think tank SecondStreet.org.
The data was obtained from state licensing bodies along the border. Data was also obtained from a national body that confirms credentials for foreign nurses who want to work in the United States.
Some Canadian workers are regularly commuting to work south of the border, while some are moving to, or may be considering a move to, the United States, SecondStreet.org suggests, saying there’s potential for governments to recruit health-care workers living in Canada who commute to the United States for work.
“Governments could also focus on convincing health workers to stay and work in Canada instead of leaving for the United States,” says the paper.
Underreported
States along the Canada–U.S. border have issued licences to 8,909 nurses and 879 doctors with Canadian mailing addresses, totalling 9,788 workers. Previous research from April 2024 on Canadian nurses working in Michigan found 63 percent of licensees commute for work, according to SecondStreet.org.
The think tank suggests the numbers are underreported because states such as North Dakota, Minnesota, and New Hampshire do not provide this information, and Washington state only provides information about nurses.
In 2022, 2,550 Canadian nurses had their credentials accepted in the United States.
“There’s a big opportunity for government-run hospitals to improve and convince some of these health care staff to work in Canada instead of commuting to the U.S. or moving there altogether,” said SecondStreet.org President Colin Craig.
“However, there’s also a big opportunity for new private clinics in Canada to recruit some of these workers and provide the compensation and working arrangements that government-run hospitals in Canada don’t offer.”
“Border states had issued the most licenses to doctors and nurses with mailing addresses in Ontario (6,655), British Columbia (901), Alberta (851) and Quebec (510). Even if these workers do not work in the U.S., it’s clear they’ve shown a strong interest in leaving Canada’s health care system,” said SecondStreet.org in a news release.
“Canada’s health care system is failing for many reasons and a staff shortage is one of them. It’s clear that we need to find ways to keep more doctors and nurses within our borders,” said Dom Lucyk, co-author of the research paper.
He said while some staff are leaving for money, others go to the United States “because of poor working conditions in Canada and the availability of full-time jobs with stable schedules in the United States.”
