B.C.'s nurse practitioners say the health system is preventing them from helping to alleviate the province's doctor shortage.

Nurse practitioners are trained to treat and assess many of the same ailments and illnesses as family doctors but they're rarely permitted to provide those services, according to the B.C. Nurse Practitioner Association.

Hannah Vartos is just one of the nurse practitioners who believe they're not utilizing their training.

She only works part time as a nurse practitioner, while the rest of her schedule is spent as a registered nurse and doing casual work at a clinic.

Full-time work isn't available, she said, because money for nurse practitioners is funnelled through health authorities, which typically focus on running hospitals.

"The majority of the public go to family doctors or walk-in clinics that are not run by health authorities," Vartos said.

"A handful [of nurse practitioners] are employed in community health centres, but the rest of them are employed in acute-care settings … [although] they're not really trained to be sitting in a hospital."

That breakdown between training and job opportunities means the entire health-care system suffers, according to Natasha Prodan-Bhalla with the B.C. Nurse Practitioner Association.

"There's a need for primary care-givers, there's a need around the province, there are people in the Lower Mainland without a primary care giver, and nurse practitioners have been trained to fill this need," Prodan-Bhalla said.

Health Minister George Abbott could not be reached for comment, but a spokesperson said in an email that the ministry continues to work together with nurse practitioners to ensure they are an effective part of the health-care system.