I just moved to NS from BC.I’m a mom/RN who just this week went to a fairly large clinic/with MDs with several offices. I approached 2 of the secretaries for 2 MDs and asked about getting a doctor. This what the their response: “No, this MD is not accepting anymore but you can ask the other secretary, to which I did. This was the response from her: “Well, I’ve already got a list of 5 asking him to accept them….tell me…where do you live because that’s important, and is it for just you and your daughter?” to which I replied yes for both. She then informed me that IF I were to be chosen from this list of now 6, that “it would be a Friday that I would be asked to come in and “meet and greet” the doctor and that IF we were a “GOOD FIT” we might get accepted as his patients. I was informed that where I lived was important… and that for example, it’s wintertime and if I lived say in Sackville or outer areas, I would be more apt to cancel in bad weather and that would not be good (meaning for this doctor) if I were to cancel and the appointment didn’t get filled…….SOOOO….to my way of thinking is this: I’ve come to YOUR province to provide health care full time and yet I cannot get a doctor.. I have to INTERVIEW to get one and that might not even fly if I’m not a good fit!! WTF? I’m a human being…that’s bottom line. NO ONE and I mean NO one should have to interview to get a doctor to continue care for them….this is outrageous and you should all be slapped hard for letting this get to this point. I was embarrassed for this secretary to have to explain to me…a healthcare provider, this BS way to GET a DOCTOR. I do need a doctor and I need to get some things sorted out. Is it going to be like this to get a dentist too??? I am taking a significant drop in pay to work here, I’m paying more for living here AND to work here as a practicing RN in this province and apparently I can’t get a doctor…what’s wrong with this picture people??? I relocated for family reasons….that was huge for us….but taking a hit to do it too. THIS sucks and it’s really tragic to see that NS has declined to this degree. I really don’t know what I’m going to do with respect to NO doctor…it’s poor continuity of care to be seen in clinics by different doctors and not have your medical records brought in from BC until you obtain the doctor….that’s how they roll sister…..I’m STUCK and hating the situation…..IT’S really backwards…I’m truly disappointed speaking as a healthcare professional…how can this be in this day and age??? This is bunk. –RN
This article appears in May 2-8, 2013.
Welcome to Nova Scotia. Will you be staying long? Can you take me with you when you leave?
“I just moved to NS from BC” Your problem lies in your first sentence. Did’t you see all the bright red “wrong way” Signs along the highway?
Hey can I be part of the Welcome Wagon? OP we have current, long term residents of NS who have lost doctors due to their doctors relocating or retiring. The line is much longer than 6! Go to a clinic like everyone else. “I’m from BC” will not get you anywhere!
It’s actually really easy to find a doctor in this city. Go to Google and search for “doctors accepting new patients in HRM”. Duh.
WE should be slapped hard? WE should be slapped hard??
This is the province with the lowest standard of living and yet the highest taxes. And it’s because of provinces like Ontario.. Alberta… BC… And we see NONE of it because you guys are stealing it.
We have NO RESOURCES to cater to the standard of living that these thieving provinces have you accustomed to. No offense but if you want the standards you’re used to, talk to the feds. NOT us.
Trust me, I’m sure a lot more will shock you before you get settled in here. Don’t drive fast on the streets either unless you wanna be airborne and upside down. 30 year old potholes have a way of turning into sinkholes.
I’m sure you had no concern for the welfare of nova scotians before you arrived here. Then you get here and BLAME US.
I can’t even…
“I’ve come to YOUR province to provide health care full time and yet I cannot get a doctor. I am taking a significant drop in pay to work here, I’m paying more for living here AND to work here as a practicing RN in this province and apparently I can’t get a doctor.”
You’re a pompus bitch who needs to go back from whence you came. No, just becuase you’re in the health care field doesn’t entitle you to go to the front of the line. And no wonder the doctors won’t see you with an attitude like that. Rest assured, your employer will soon tire of your bullshit and fire your ass. You’ll be back to the Land of Riches and Doctors soon enough (unless one of us sends you back there before then…).
“You should all be slapped hard for letting this get to this point.”
Please let us know who you are and where we can find you. I’m up for a good bitch-slap-fest. I specialize in that…
“Is it going to be like this to get a dentist too???”
I think not; but when you do find someone, you may find yourself without teeth, given that attitude.
The next flight back can be found on http://wwww.expedia.ca. Bye!
I love you Meaty 🙂
I love him too. in a non-sandwich kind of way.
op, I beat you here from bc and got my own doctor on first try, (young, blonde, just out of med school) 6 min drive from home. I can see her next day, or one of the other 5 in the clinic if she is on vacation. dentist is 1 min drive.
I guess, op, that you didn’t practise trying to get a doctor in kerrisdale or point grey before you came here.
What does your doctor’s appearance have to do with anything?
Just wait until you:
– try to get your car fixed
– try to get a trades person
– try to get your vehicle licensed
– try to get an employer to interview you
Key word here is try – cause chances are you, like me will just hit a brick wall every time. This is the land of red tape, service fees and short term memory problems – because no one will ever return your calls.
Welcome to Shawshank Little Fishy, the only Province that has perfected FUCKED UP N BROKE in Canada.
I’d return to BC and bale on this socialist shit pile before your next appointment.
Not that I’m defending Dexter but, 200 years of Liberals and PC’s -vs- 4 years of the NDP. Hmmmmm…must be the socialists fault. Fuck you’re stupid, Alfred!!!!
So you went to one clinic and now you’re fed up? There are plenty of people who have lived here their entire lives and can’t get a family doctor (try living in rural NS) — people who have paid taxes in this province, unlike you who hasn’t paid much into the pot so far. So I don’t know what’s so special about your golden arse.
And you didn’t move here to do us any favours — you moved here for you own self serving reasons so spare us the ‘you people owe me’ bs.
By the way, if you looked around to more than one clinic, you’d find lots of clinics accepting new patients. Mine is and they are great with scheduling you with other practice docs when your family doc is on vacation. Do a little research before bitching, asshole.
eats crayons, we actually do have resources but the government won’t let anyone do anything with them. We have oil and gas, not to mention uranium which the government makes it either illegal or very difficult to mine.
I love you too, PK 🙂
What Kitty said.
97% of people in HRM have family doctors. If you couldn’t get one you didn’t try hard enough. The same is not true for rural NS where there are very few.
i’d like to see the prov govt offer to pay at least 50% of drs student loans to relocate to small towns. 10 year commitment or the payoff has to be paid back on a sliding scale by year. would be a good incentive, their student loans are crippling.
You should move to the beautiful Annapolis Valley BC RN! We have doctors coming out the ying yang. A brand new shiny doctor was just installed in Hantsport and she’s taking new patients.
BC RN If you believe that i have a deal i can give you on a bridge. lol
Are you SURE she’s taking new patients, Reg? They have a nurse practitioner who sees patients, but the actual patient load for every doc that’s been in Hantsport has been too high to take any new patients on. Especially since there’s always been a 3-4 week wait to get an appointment with the Hantsport doc. I grew up in Hantsport and was never able to even get on a wait list for the doc who died a few years back or the one the town paid to set up a practice after the other one died. They had such a long wait list, they refused to add anyone else.
Their only saving grace is the fact that they have the practitioner now.
Hantsport would be the only place, if this is even true. I’m from further up and there are no doctors taking on patients at all. My parents just found a doctor after years of looking and that was only by exception. My doctor just retired so all her patients were in limbo; thankfully another doctor just came in. I could not find a doctor here in HRM so I go to the clinic. And quite frankly, I am impressed with the service and will continue to go there. There’s always options. I do like the idea of having the government offer to pay part of the doctors’ student loans and get them to commit to 10 years. Great idea, GDM! My only worry is where the money would come from. All those government expenses! Surely they couldn’t do without the extras 🙁
my doctor sends me to hantsport for tests, instead of having to wait 6+ months. lovely hospital, very clean and no waiting
SHITD – in less than 4 years Kim Jong Dexter has raised the debt by 8%, and climbing, using you figures – if the Libs and Cons took hundreds of years for us to be in this fiscal shape, Dexter must be on the fast track to bankrupt this glorious shit pile.
Methinks you’ve gone one too many rounds with Punchy Percy Paris.
actually guys.. free clinics are awesome and all.. but they’re not a good idea for long term medical care.
Here’s why…
When you get sick, your doctor, who KNOWS you, will see your symptoms and illnesses over time and may detect patterns. It’s one thing to read a chart. But it’s another to read a chart, write that chart and know the person.
Over time doctors build troubleshooting guides on individuals. This is why having a family doctor is so important. Because if there is something bad wrong with you, your family doctor is likely to detect it first.
It took me a while, like a few phone calls over the course of a few weeks, but I found a doctor, dentist too. Both in burnside.
What do you guys think about privitization? Does our healthcare system need some fundamental changes?There is a shortage, what can we do to keep more doctors in this province? First thing that comes to my mind is pay them more money, which is all well and good if we could afford it. Maybe we need a private option so that those who are willing to pay for better service, have that option, thus allowing those less fortunate to have better access. People have been doing this for generations, except they take their money to the states and give it to one of their doctors or surgeons, sucking more money out of our economy. I truly believe that privatization wouldn’t be such a dirty word in Canada if we didn’t have the option to cross the border and pay for procedures that have long waiting lists or aren’t overly available in Canada.
I admit I’m no expert by a long shot, anyone care to chime in?
All my close family and friends are in NS and as much as I love them it’s not enough to keep me here. I want to be financially stable AND not have to count every GD penny that goes through my fingers, and I haven’t met very many people around here who can do that. I like money and nice things, I really don’t want to be another NS cheapskate who can’t afford to go out for a beer on the weekend and compains about the price of EVERYTHING.
Welcome to NS.
It sucks but we still love it here.
And the loser who thinks 97%of HRM has a doctor should wake up and exhale. I have lived here my whole life and when my doctor retired over ten years ago I was left out in the cold. I have not had a dr since. I have looked for years. Go on the website, NO ONE is taking new patients. You have to use clinics. It’s like 50s Russia here. Seriously.I moved to NL for 2 years. Had a doctor within a week. And an AWESOME dr who gave a shit about me. When I had to leave I knew I would probably never experience health CARE again. Right-o!!
The meet and greet is actually great. My boyfriend went to a new clinic in larry uteck and spent over an hour on his meet and greet. The doc spent the time asking detailed medical history questions and in the end they felt they would have a great doctor/patient relationship. Another friend went to the same doc and didnt like him at all. Its to ensure you both feel comfortable with the fit. Nothing wrong with that.