FAQs
The Answers You’ve Been Looking For
Can I self-refer my child to your office if I think he or she should see a paediatrician?
No. Paediatricians are specialist physicians and a referral is required. Referrals must come from other medical professionals (physicians, nurse practitioners, midwives).
What is the wait time?
This varies depending on the medical condition. All referrals received in our office are triaged by one of the doctors and are added to our waitlist according to the urgency. We do not see any patients on an emergency basis in the office. Emergency referrals are directed to the paediatrician on call at the hospital.
Once my child has seen the paediatrician, do they become the primary provider?
No. As specialists, paediatricians are asked to give a medical opinion and to make recommendations to the primary care provider. Some children are followed by a paediatrician long term, but those children still require a primary care provider (such as a family doctor). Some children only see the paediatrician once.
I think my child has autism, will that be diagnosed at our appointment?
No. In BC, autism can only be diagnosed by specialized clinicians and teams. A referral to the specialized team must occur. In the Northern Health region, children are referred to the Northern Health Assessment Network (NHAN). If there are concerns about autism, we strongly suggest asking your family doctor to make the referral to NHAN at the same time your child is referred to us, so unnecessary wait times can be avoided.
My child is a patient of one of the doctors in your office. He was referred for his ADHD but I think he has a cold. Can we come in and be seen for that?
No. The paediatricians are only able to see your child for the issue(s) he or she were originally referred for. Common childhood ailments such as colds, rashes, or fevers should be assessed by the child's family doctor.
My child was a patient of the doctor there but we haven't seen him/her in a couple of years, can I book an appointment?
If more than 6 months has passed we may require a new referral from your child's family doctor. In some cases, the paediatrician has asked for an "annual review". In this case, a re-referral may not be needed. This does not mean you will go to the end of our waitlist, we just require a new referral on file for billing purposes.