As the new hospital prepares to open in early 2027, Providence Health Care is building a diverse team across nursing, allied health, support services and skilled trades
St. Paul’s Hospital has anchored health care in Vancouver for more than a century.
Now, as the new St. Paul’s Hospital prepares to open in early 2027, Providence Health Care is recruiting for more than 1,000 new positions, including opportunities for nursing, allied health professionals, and support services like housekeeping and food services.
A legacy reimagined
The new hospital is part of an integrated campus bringing care, research and education together under one vision. For Providence, that shift represents something bigger than a move into a new building.
“It’s about carrying that legacy forward in a way that meets the needs of the future,” says Sandy Barr, director of Transition Planning for the new St. Paul’s Hospital. “It’s one of those rare moments where you get to pause and ask what health care should look like going forward and then actually build towards that.”
Sandy Barr, director of Transition Planning, says the new St. Paul’s Hospital campus offers a chance to rethink what health care should look like for the future.
Nowhere is that more visible than in nursing. Providence is hiring across emergency, operating room, critical care, cardiac, mental health and medicine – roles that will anchor units designed from scratch rather than retrofitted. The Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Cardiac Surgery ICU, Cardiac ICU and High-Acuity units are planned on the same floor so teams can work across beds instead of in silos, with the emergency department planned as four separate treatment zones so higher acuity patients reach care sooner.
Providence is also investing in nurses who want to develop specialty expertise in areas such as emergency and critical care. Nurses can access funded specialty education, including tuition and textbooks and, in some cases, wages during training. Buddy shifts, simulation labs and mentorship also help nurses build their skills and confidence.
Providence is expanding nursing opportunities at the new St. Paul’s Hospital, including funded specialty training, mentorship and hands-on experience. Photo via Providence Health Care
Beyond the bedside
Nursing isn’t the only clinical priority. Respiratory therapy and social work are also core to how the new hospital will run, supporting everything from the redesigned Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where single patient rooms replace the current shared nursery model, to the new Medical Mental Health unit, which brings psychiatry, medicine, nursing and allied health together around trauma-informed care.
Respiratory therapy and social work will play key roles in supporting patients across the new St. Paul’s Hospital, including its redesigned NICU and Medical Mental Health unit. Photo via Providence Health Care
The hiring push goes well past clinical roles too. Providence is also looking for people in food services, environmental services, logistics, security and skilled trades, including heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) technicians and shift engineers – all of whom keep a hospital this size running day to day.
“Very few people get the opportunity to help bring a new hospital to life,” says Barr. “Whether you’re a nurse, allied health professional, support staff member or skilled tradesperson, joining Providence now means becoming part of the team that will prepare the new St. Paul’s Hospital to serve patients for generations to come.”
Joining before the doors open means having a hand in decisions that will shape how the hospital runs for decades, rather than stepping into a system that already exists.
Those interested in exploring opportunities at the new St. Paul’s Hospital can connect with Providence Health Care’s talent community to stay informed as roles open.