I’ve been going to walk-in clinics for twelve years now, which is far too long and not that uncommon due to our doctor shortage in Ontario ( my province).

Recently I decided it was time to find a family doctor. It has been quite a journey, but here are the tricks I found to getting a decent doctor.

Find a recommended doctor and call them regularly

I asked friends, family, posted on facebook and asked the girls at my work. I called every single recommendation……..and none of them were accepting new patients. All of them said they would be accepting in a few months. When I called back a few months later they still said no. If you keep on calling back you’ll eventually find your lucky day.

Be very nice to the receptionist

Instead of calling and saying “Are you accepting new patients?” upfront I decided to take a softer approach. I told her that someone in my office highly recommended Dr. N and then I asked if they were accepting patients – to which she said no, of course.

This is your clue to politely ask when they will be accepting patients again, to which you’ll hear “in a few months”– this is the same answer I heard from every single doctor. Then ask when they last accepted patients. In Dr. N’s case they’d just stopped.

Be patient and persistent

After getting rejected again I decided that I would be a bit more persistent. Still sounding upbeat I mentioned how hard it is to find a doctor and how I’ve called four different times and I’d love it if she could put me on a waiting list, or maybe include me on the list of new patients they just closed (wink, wink).

To my complete surprise the receptionist asked me whom I was referred by. The receptionist said she was familiar with this patient and that she’d see if the Doctor would be able to squeeze me in.

Hopefully, after my 18 month saga I’ll have my very own doctor by this afternoon!