review Review of my medical exam at TELUS Health Care Centres (Montreal) – 2023

[EC&IC 32]

(Please let me know if this should be posted elsewhere.)

 

Had my medical exam today in Montreal, here is my recap. In short, I was missing vaccine boosters despite having reviewed the list over and over again, and a few details could be interesting to pregnant women or women trying to conceive (especially as concerns X-rays and vaccines); otherwise it was pretty straightforward!

 

My appointment was at 7:45am. I arrived about 5 minutes in advance and had to wear a mask. There was only one other person before me. The lady at reception took my 5 photos, passport (she gave it back straight away), vaccination documents (she kept them), and consulate letter. She took a passport-style photo and gave me a few forms to fill out (personal information, medical history and consents to vaccination). At around 8, I gave her back the forms and sat back in the waiting room.

 

I got called for the X-rays at around 8:25, at the same time as another lady. We got into cabins and put on a paper gown. I got done first and came out, leaving my things in the cabin. The technician asked if I might be pregnant, and when I said it was a possibility, I had to sign consent forms. She explained that she would protect my abdomen and that while there was indeed a very small risk of harm, I would actually receive 10x more radiation from the sun in an airplane than from an X-ray picture. She took two pictures, and 10 minutes later I was dressed and back in the waiting room.

 

At about 9:00, I got called by the nurse. She inquired about one prescription that I have, likely because it seems to be an “off-label” use, and then went over my vaccines. I thought I had them all covered (I read the US list many times!), I had got a few at a pharmacy in January and February to get up to date, but she told me that I was missing three boosters: Hep B,  MMR, and varicella. (I did know about the varicella, as I got the first shot less than a month ago.) I think one of the shots I got as a child was the “wrong” one for the US. She also said that as I'm trying to get pregnant, I should *not* have gotten a live varicella vaccine at the pharmacy. I got a bit confused about the rest. If I remember correctly, she also said that had I not gotten that dose a few weeks ago, she would have been able to give me MMR and (my first dose of) varicella together today, in a safe form. Also because of the possibility that I'm in the very early days of a pregnancy (or perhaps because I got the live varicella shot less than a month ago), she said she couldn't give me the MMR and varicella shots now. So she gave me the HB shot, but wrote a note that it was not advisable to give me the other two today. She said that I can get them later (I still have time before the interview), but that it wouldn’t change much, since my current vaccine status doesn't prevent me from entering the US. I asked her to confirm this about 32 times! It's really bothering me, but she said I would have one year to get up to date, and even then, the authorities might not even follow up. 

 

She printed the updated Quebec vaccine records and gave me a copy, along with my original records that she had kept. Then she noted my height and weight, did an eye test (she didn’t check my glasses but asked me to read a line with my glasses on, one eye at a time), and took a blood test. That part was done at 9:30.

 

At about 9:50, the doctor called me. She went over the form (I verbally added two details about my “ancient” medical history that I had remembered, just to be transparent, but she didn’t worry about them or write them down). She temporarily left the room to allow me to put on a gown (I kept my underwear on), and she checked my eyes, ears, knee reflexes, listened to my heart and lungs, and she lifted the gown to palpate my abdomen a couple of times. We were done at 10.

 

At 10:15, another lady at reception called me to settle the bill. I paid about $440, this includes one HepB shot ($51). She said it would take about 10 working days for the results to get to the consulate, and I would get an email when that would be done, but the consulate already has received notice that my examination was done today.

 

After I left, I was unsure because I remembered reading on this forum that at least one person had a urine sample collected in 2021. So I called and asked if that was an issue, but the man on the phone said that none needed to be collected.

 

So that's it! All in all, it took 2.5 hours, the people were very nice, and the waiting wasn't too bad. Let me know if you have any questions!

Edited February 28, 2023 by EC&IC

[Idlewild 26]

Thanks for the review, I was going to do a similar post for the medical experience yesterday, so I'll piggyback on to your post with it:

 

Location: Scarborough (Toronto)

Dr: Dr Randall Lee

Experience:  Overall, very good interactions with the Dr and office staff, but brutal wait times.  Not really organized well.  Arrived early for 9:30AM appointment, and was out of there by 3pm.  I recommend arriving 30 minutes early for this office, as 15 minutes early put us behind a very slow family.

Advice: BE PREPARED.  <rant> I'm sure I'll get hate for this, but it truly blows my mind how unprepared some people are for this.  I am the USC assisting my spouse through the process, and made sure my spouse had all boosters, vaccinations, before the medical exam.  Dr. Lee told my spouse directly "Thank you for being so organized", as if most people are not prepared.  Made his life so much easier, and there was zero followup required after the exam.  Multiple people before and after us were missing a multitude of shots from what I overheard in the office.  I cannot understand why, as all this info is on this wonderful forum, among official websites that lay it all out perfectly clearly, yet it seemed like none of them ever even looked at the required list.  One guy had his family (of 5) in for an exam and was super nonchalant about the whole medical exam, saying "I wasn't sure if I needed to do this".  Complete idiot. </rant>.  Anyhow, we were told we'd be notified of when our medical info would be submitted to the consulate, and also told we had "plenty of time" (interview is April 4).

Edited March 1, 2023 by Idlewild

[EC&IC 32]

Wow, almost 6 hours?! That's horrible, I'm sorry! 

 

As to the shots, I haven't witnessed situations similar to what you've seen (and I can’t imagine treating this process nonchalantly!!!), but even though I consider myself to be extremely organized and got many new shots beforehand after reading the required list multiple, multiple times, I was *still* missing two booster shots that I didn't realize I was supposed to have! I guess that as long as you have both covid shots, you can be missing boosters of other vaccines if you've got at least the first dose, but it still bothered me! I don't know what it is about this vaccine list that was so confusing to me!

Edited March 2, 2023 by EC&IC

[Idlewild 26]

1 hour ago, EC&IC said:

Wow, almost 6 hours?! That's horrible, I'm sorry! 

 

As to the shots, I haven't witnessed situations similar to what you've seen (and I can’t imagine treating this process nonchalantly!!!), but even though I consider myself to be extremely organized and got many new shots beforehand after reading the required list multiple, multiple times, I was *still* missing two booster shots that I didn't realize I was supposed to have! I guess that as long as you have both covid shots, you can be missing boosters of other vaccines if you've got at least the first dose, but it still bothered me! I don't know what it is about this vaccine list that was so confusing to me!

Yeah I suppose I can see some misunderstanding.  One older couple in front of us was debating with the Dr. over one shot apparently not required for over 60 or something like that.  I wouldn't ever risk this, just get them all!

 

Anyway good luck to us both - we're almost there!

[Pearljamm 65]

On 2/28/2023 at 6:27 PM, EC&IC said:

(Please let me know if this should be posted elsewhere.)

 

Had my medical exam today in Montreal, here is my recap. In short, I was missing vaccine boosters despite having reviewed the list over and over again, and a few details could be interesting to pregnant women or women trying to conceive (especially as concerns X-rays and vaccines); otherwise it was pretty straightforward!

 

My appointment was at 7:45am. I arrived about 5 minutes in advance and had to wear a mask. There was only one other person before me. The lady at reception took my 5 photos, passport (she gave it back straight away), vaccination documents (she kept them), and consulate letter. She took a passport-style photo and gave me a few forms to fill out (personal information, medical history and consents to vaccination). At around 8, I gave her back the forms and sat back in the waiting room.

 

I got called for the X-rays at around 8:25, at the same time as another lady. We got into cabins and put on a paper gown. I got done first and came out, leaving my things in the cabin. The technician asked if I might be pregnant, and when I said it was a possibility, I had to sign consent forms. She explained that she would protect my abdomen and that while there was indeed a very small risk of harm, I would actually receive 10x more radiation from the sun in an airplane than from an X-ray picture. She took two pictures, and 10 minutes later I was dressed and back in the waiting room.

 

At about 9:00, I got called by the nurse. She inquired about one prescription that I have, likely because it seems to be an “off-label” use, and then went over my vaccines. I thought I had them all covered (I read the US list many times!), I had got a few at a pharmacy in January and February to get up to date, but she told me that I was missing three boosters: Hep B,  MMR, and varicella. (I did know about the varicella, as I got the first shot less than a month ago.) I think one of the shots I got as a child was the “wrong” one for the US. She also said that as I'm trying to get pregnant, I should *not* have gotten a live varicella vaccine at the pharmacy. I got a bit confused about the rest. If I remember correctly, she also said that had I not gotten that dose a few weeks ago, she would have been able to give me MMR and (my first dose of) varicella together today, in a safe form. Also because of the possibility that I'm in the very early days of a pregnancy (or perhaps because I got the live varicella shot less than a month ago), she said she couldn't give me the MMR and varicella shots now. So she gave me the HB shot, but wrote a note that it was not advisable to give me the other two today. She said that I can get them later (I still have time before the interview), but that it wouldn’t change much, since my current vaccine status doesn't prevent me from entering the US. I asked her to confirm this about 32 times! It's really bothering me, but she said I would have one year to get up to date, and even then, the authorities might not even follow up. 

 

She printed the updated Quebec vaccine records and gave me a copy, along with my original records that she had kept. Then she noted my height and weight, did an eye test (she didn’t check my glasses but asked me to read a line with my glasses on, one eye at a time), and took a blood test. That part was done at 9:30.

 

At about 9:50, the doctor called me. She went over the form (I verbally added two details about my “ancient” medical history that I had remembered, just to be transparent, but she didn’t worry about them or write them down). She temporarily left the room to allow me to put on a gown (I kept my underwear on), and she checked my eyes, ears, knee reflexes, listened to my heart and lungs, and she lifted the gown to palpate my abdomen a couple of times. We were done at 10.

 

At 10:15, another lady at reception called me to settle the bill. I paid about $440, this includes one HepB shot ($51). She said it would take about 10 working days for the results to get to the consulate, and I would get an email when that would be done, but the consulate already has received notice that my examination was done today.

 

After I left, I was unsure because I remembered reading on this forum that at least one person had a urine sample collected in 2021. So I called and asked if that was an issue, but the man on the phone said that none needed to be collected.

 

So that's it! All in all, it took 2.5 hours, the people were very nice, and the waiting wasn't too bad. Let me know if you have any questions!

 

How long did it take for the medical to reach the Embassy ?

 

I did mine on March 22, and my interview is on April 5 and I am getting worried to be honest. They told me the same thing about the consulate already has receiving notice that my examination was done. 

[mam521 2,024]

Sounds like an improvement from when we went in Montreal.  Our appointments were around 11:15am and we didn't get out of there until around 4pm.  We did a LOT of waiting.  I was so thankful I had Kid2's novel in my backpack because their iPad died and we didn't have a charge cord with us. 

 

There was another couple with a toddler who faced the same long waits.  Mom was quite pregnant and the look on her face as she attempted to entertain said toddler said it all.  All of us were completely over it!  

 

Good luck with the interview

 

[EC&IC 32]

19 hours ago, Pearljamm said:

 

How long did it take for the medical to reach the Embassy ?

 

I did mine on March 22, and my interview is on April 5 and I am getting worried to be honest. They told me the same thing about the consulate already has receiving notice that my examination was done. 

It took seven calendar days. Let us know how it goes! Good luck!

[Pearljamm 65]

6 hours ago, EC&IC said:

It took seven calendar days. Let us know how it goes! Good luck!

So i called in today to check and they said it has been submitted to the consulate. 

 

Do you know how long it takes to get the confirmation email?

 

Regards, 

 

[EC&IC 32]

6 hours ago, Pearljamm said:

So i called in today to check and they said it has been submitted to the consulate. 

 

Do you know how long it takes to get the confirmation email?

 

Regards, 

 

I don't know... I got the email after seven days, but I don't know when the results were sent. Check your spam, maybe, or wait a day or two? You could also call them back to make sure that they wrote your email down right? But if they say it has been sent, that seems like the most important part!

[Pearljamm 65]

9 hours ago, EC&IC said:

I don't know... I got the email after seven days, but I don't know when the results were sent. Check your spam, maybe, or wait a day or two? You could also call them back to make sure that they wrote your email down right? But if they say it has been sent, that seems like the most important part!

You are correct! Wish me luck on wednesday !

[Lkkclub123 23]

I think the doctors at Telus are nice and enthusiastic, but the fees are very expensive. The three of us paid $2200 because we were required to get cervical cancer vaccine (20-year-old boy) and shingles vaccine (we had chickenpox as a child), they said this is the latest regulation

[Lucky100 0]

Hi

 

When should I schedule a medical exam appointment before my interview? Do I need to bring 5 passport-sized photos to the exam, and should they be dated? How long does it take for the embassy to receive the medical exam results? What documents should I bring to the medical exam? please advise.

[mam521 2,024]

16 hours ago, Lucky100 said:

Hi

 

When should I schedule a medical exam appointment before my interview? Do I need to bring 5 passport-sized photos to the exam, and should they be dated? How long does it take for the embassy to receive the medical exam results? What documents should I bring to the medical exam? please advise.

You cannot schedule your medical until you've received your interview letter.  However, in preparation, you can either find your vaccine records and verify you have all required vaccines or have a titres test done to find out which diseases you're immune to and have boosters administered for the ones you're missing.  It's typically cheaper NOT to have to have vaccines administered at your immigration medical.