readytomove

Been here just over 2 months now and have yet to find a doc that is taking on patients. I saw an ad in the local paper the other week for a new clinic in Hanwell looking for patients but by the time I phoned they were full up already!

Any suggestion?

Tangram

Noticed one over in St Mary's as I was driving past. Sorry cannot remember the address. I think it was on Canada St.

BTW. We were in Moncton for 2 1/2 years and only just got a call to join a practise. Now back to looking in Fred on the waiting list.

You actually don't need one. The walk in clinics are actually quicker.

sinurt

Go to the river valley health website and get onto the list at least. We have a doctor but he is in Stanley and although he is very good we are still hoping to get a doctor in Fredericton, we have been on the list over 2 yrs now too. I am waiting for a phone call from someone who looks after the waiting list and hopefully they will get me a dr here as I am pregnant now so should be a higher priority!!

If you don't mind travelling to Stanley I can give you my dr's number as it is usually easier to get in with him as he is a bit further outside town (about a 30-40 min drive)

Sinead

sinurt

Not from my experience here, usually a wait of over an hr - first time I went wait was 2.5 hrs!!! Maybe I just get sick at the wrong times However for future reference Oromocto ER is generally quicker than Fredericton!

Tangram

Well the ones in Riverview, you book and you are in within 10 mins of you alloted time. Perhaps you were unlucky.

fledermaus

Why?

sinurt

Just the way it works here, in Fredericton anyway, as they like you to get checked every month. I know of several people who got a doctor straight away when they told them they were pregnant.

sinurt

Here you go and register but aren't given an exact time so its a waiting game. However last time I went to the walk in day clinic at Brookside Mall she told me it would be roughly 45min wait and I could leave and come back and my spot would be kept. That day however I could hardly walk so just sat there and it was over an hr's wait!! You will see people queuing outside the evening clinic from before 5 and it doesn't open till 6!!

readytomove

I've also been told that it's difficult to get referrals from the walk-in since it should come from your family doc. We've put ourselves on the wait list but i wont hold my breath to hear back anytime soon.

Sinead I wouldn't mind going to Stanley at all, especially as were looking at moving to the north side anyway.

dudlek

Hi,

In my experience it is the luck of the draw to get a doctor here in Fred'. I have been here a year now and got a family doc back in March BUT that was only because I saw him for a medical.

My experience of the ooh clinics is good - in Brookside Mall ( Dr Tingley ) day clinic you do have to wait 1-1.5 hours sometimes but as Sinead says Cheryl, Dr T's nurse, will keep your place if you want to go home and come back - good as I only live 1 mile away. On the flip side to get an appt with my GP is madness - it seems you have to plan to be ill 2 weeks in advance! I have not needed to see him on an urgent basis though and none of my children have been very ill - yet! Re the evening OOH clinic on the northside, my experience again is that you wait 30-60mins but the GPs there are kind, helpful and were very caring toward my 6 year old who had conjunctivitus.

In 1 year I have had x-rays, an MRI an ecg and a mammogram at the Dr E C Hospital. The x-ray referrals have come from the OOH clinics but the MRI through an insurance assessment medical after a car accident. So in my experience if you need a referral you either need to sit in the ER for hours ( go to Oromocto ) and demand one or be seeing a doc who knows someone who knows someone etc. One kind lady doc in Fred (Dr Karol) is doing smear tests for ladies who do not have a family doctor as the OOH clinics dont do them! Thats not general knowledge either!

All I can say re getting a family doc, is keep persevering, I did not experience a shortage of healthcare when I did not have one but I do understand people who cant go to eg: Dr T at Brookside Mall, might get fed up seeing different docs every time and get frustrated by the situation.

Best of luck and keep asking around. Bear in mind too that lots of military personnel will be moving away in the next month so try ringing lots of surgeries to see if they have spaces coming up!
K

Tuppence

This is exactly what happened to us when we lived in Fredericton. We were there on TWP, and when the PR medical happened, the doctor must have assumed were were fairly healthy and weren't going to take up loads of her time, so took us on as patients.

It's like the age old 'network, network' comment about Canada. People just seem to want to know you aren't a nutter before they have anything to do with you!

readytomove

Actually I have my PR med on Thursday so I'll try and beg them to take us on, we're very low maintenance and have no kids. Also added to the plan of action, try the doc in Stanley (thanks Sinead!) and maybe other small towns like Harvey and Nackawic and try Oromocto for leaving military people.

helcol

Might also worth calling Dr Aaron Digby's office. He's one of two new Doctors that started last year.

We got a call from their office (we didn't contact them first) inviting us for an appointment. We weren't even on the waiting list. The only link I can think of is that our son has very mild Asthma.

We're now signed up and very happy as he seems really nice.

sinurt

We also just found out today that we have a doctor in the city now - apparently they had sent us a letter but to our old address!! She is the one on the Hanwell actually that just opened and although they are full now they might be taking more patients on come Sept so if you have had no luck by then you could try phoning her again.

readytomove

YAY! she was the one i phoned after seeing the ad in the paper, the answer message said they were full but might be taking new people in Sep. I already have it in my calander to phone Sep 1st if we haven't found anyone by then!