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Booking Appointments​

After your child has been referred by a physician or nurse practitioner, and any necessary questionnaires have been returned, Sandy will contact you to book an appointment. She will then remind and confirm booked appointments 2-3 days beforehand. If she cannot confirm your availability within 24 hours of the scheduled time, the appointment will be cancelled, filled with a patient from our cancellation list, and your child will be placed back on the waitlist. Please be certain we have up to date contact information.

 

Cancelling or Rescheduling Appointments

Failing to show up for an appointment or cancelling at short notice leaves appointment times that cannot be filled, and increases the wait time for other patients. If you do not show up for your appointment or cancel without reasonable notice (less than 24 hours) or explanation, the referral will be returned to your referring doctor, and your child will need a new referral to be booked again.

 

Follow-up Appointments

If Dr. Francis wants to see your child in follow-up, you will be informed at your appointment. All patients need a re-referral from their family physician every 6 months to continue with shared consultative care. Some family physicians will do this electronically, however, Dr. Francis encourages your child to see their GP on a regular basis to ensure that your primary care provider continues to be closely involved in your child's care. 

IN-PERSON APPOINTMENTS

  • Masks are no longer required in private physician offices. However, if anyone planning to attend the appointment is unwell, everyone will have to wear a mask during the appointment, or you will be offered a virtual appointment.

  • If you do not have a mask, we will provide you and your child with one. Hand sanitizer is available for use in our office. 

  • Aim to arrive 5-10 minutes early to ensure you get the full time scheduled with Dr. Francis. If you arrive late, you will have less time for your appointment. If you are more than 10 minutes late, the appointment may need to be rescheduled in order to give your child an appropriate amount of time to be seen.

  • ABSOLUTELY NO FOOD OR DRINKS to be brought in to the office. 

  • If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the office at 250-591-1906

Girl at the Pediatrician
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VIRTUAL APPOINTMENTS

For those feeling unwell or for whom travel to the office is difficult, we are happy to schedule a virtual appointment by "telehealth"  (videoconferencing or by telephone). 

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Just like online shopping or email, telehealth has some inherent privacy and security risks that your health information may be intercepted or unintentionally disclosed. We use Zoom for Health Care, which is provided by Island Health and has robust health information security features. The link for the Zoom appointment is on this page (the button with the rocket ship).

 

If you have documents to share with Dr. Francis, contact the office ahead of time to get instructions on how to send them to us before the appointment.

  • ​Smart phones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers all work well for virtual care.

  • Check your device settings to make sure your camera and audio are enabled. Run through the pre-call test before your appointment starts.

  • Log in 5-10 minutes before your appointment. so you are in the virtual waiting room. Don't worry if you get a message that the "host hasn't started the meeting yet." Dr. Francis will get things going as soon as she can. If you have any difficulties, please call Sandy at 250-591-1906.

  • Important to note: Sandy does not work on Fridays. If you are having problems accessing Zoom on a Friday, Dr. Francis will get in touch with you by phone.

  • Please try to be in a private, quiet space with minimal distractions.

  • This is your child's appointment, so do your best to have him/her/them present.

  • Consider writing down your concerns and questions before your appointment. Have any medications handy for review.

  • Please measure and record your child's height and weight as this is very useful for Dr. Francis, especially in metric!

  • How to measure at home link: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/childrens_bmi/measuring_children.html

  • If Dr. Francis feels a physical exam is necessary, then she will make arrangements to see your child in person at a later date.

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