Care in the Community: Doctors & Specialists
It's harder than ever to see our family practitioners in a timely manner, and seeing a specialist can take months. It is essential to go into appointments prepared. Being proactive and assertive can make the difference between rapid care, undue pain and suffering... and even death.
This is a comprehensive guide to better communication and faster access to care.
Physician Specialists
If the future of your health depends on seeing a specialist…
Be proactive… Be assertive.
Wait times to see a specialist can be several months to a year or more.
Specialists ‘triage’ (sort) is based on the information they receive. The more information your doctor puts on the referral form, the better. If it’s “Urgent” or an “Emergency” to see a specialist, ask your GP what information they provided to support that.
Find out who your referral was sent to. If you haven’t heard anything within a week, check with your doctor to ensure the referral was sent and to whom it was sent – even if there is a message that you will be contacted in several months. Or ask your doctor to confirm the referral went through.
If your condition worsens while waiting to see the specialist, ask your PCP to update the referral information and do not hesitate to call the specialist’s office directly and leave a message something like this:
“This is John Smith. My Health number is 9100 555 311. I was referred to your office on March 1st. I am having more severe symptoms more frequently. Please put me on your cancellation list and let me know if there is a way I can be seen any sooner. My phone number is…”
Everywhere you go, pack your Communication Skills
Family Physicians and General Practitioners (GPs)
We use the terms General Practitioner (GP) and Family Physician interchangeably – and with Nurse Practitioners coming into the field – it is recommended that we change our vocabulary, yet again, to Primary Care Physician or Primary Care Practitioner (PCP).
No matter what term you use, it is a field in which a new doctor receives two years of specialty residency in family practice.
Absolutely every person needs a Primary Care Practitioner (PCP). They are the entry point and the hub for almost all other health care. They send us for testing, diagnose, write prescriptions, manage our medications, send us to specialists, and act as the hub and interpreters of information from our specialists. Seeing our PCP promptly can mean the difference between health and suffering and, sometimes, life and death.
More than 1/3 of British Columbians – almost 1 million – don’t have a family doctor. It is causing patients incredible stress and massive stress on the entire healthcare system. Our Emergency Departments are overflowing with patients who likely could have been treated by their Family Physician if they had one or if they could have seen them quickly.
Nurse Practitioners (NPs)
Nurse Practitioners have received advanced education and competencies in nursing practice. They generally hold a Masters in Nursing or greater with specific training and practicums for their chosen area of specialization. NPs work in a variety of settings, including community practice, acute care settings (such as hospitals), residential care, and mental health.
Until a few years ago, NPs were primarily employed in rural communities, often working alongside a Family Practitioner. However, their numbers and scope of practice have increased dramatically over the last decade in response to the extreme shortage of Family Physicians.
They work in clinics with family practitioners and other NPs, or they can work independently in nurse-practitioner-only clinics.
NPs get paid by salary and are employees of the clinic where they work. Generally, this allows NPs to spend more quality time with their patients.
NPs can perform all of the same patient care that a Family Practitioner provides:
Diagnosing
Medication management and prescribing
Referrals to other healthcare professionals and specialists.
Walk-in & Urgent Care Clinics
When you don’t have a PCP, often the only choice is to go to a walk-in or urgent care clinic.
Get to know where the clinics are in your area. Ask about their policies, particularly around wait times and wait lists:
Do they have a booking site?
Can you call in to put yourself on the list? Often, the capacity for patients for the day is filled early, and often, notifications are updated on their voicemail messages.
What is their policy regarding having you as a regular walk-in patient? This often means that you are considered a patient of the clinic but not any particular doctor.
Do they have a waitlist for doctors who will permanently take on patients?
Urgent and Primary Care Centres are available in many communities across British Columbia as part of the Province’s Primary Care Strategy. UPCCs are regularly being launched across the province.
Find an Urgent or Primary Care Centre. Keep checking their page for more updates.
Further Reading: When you don’t have a Primary Care Practitioner
Further Reading
· Nurse Practitioner: Definition of Terms – Government of BC
· Primary Care Strategy - Government of BC
