My left wrist was showing a bit of swelling on Friday. I decided to look for a walk-in clinic to see a doctor on Saturday. My family doctor isn't open for appointments on weekends and I felt that seeing a doctor was better than a virtual appointment.
I found MEDCENTRE Health. It has an urgent care component for sprains and swelling. Perfect! I booked an appointment online for Saturday at noon. You simply fill out the form (you do need your Ontario health card details), do the COVID-19 screening questions, and select your time and date that you want.
I showed up roughly ten minutes before my appointment. This clinic is in a rather busy parking lot that it shares with Markham Convention Centre and a bunch of other businesses. I found a spot as close to the clinic as I could and walked over.
When I entered, there were many folks standing around. I figured out later that there were two sets of families there. They soon left the place.
I lined up at reception. I then noticed a sign that said to register at one of the iPads. I found one after a man and another family had vacated that side of the wall. You need your Ontario health card to register. It was straightforward.
A woman and her daughter behind me used the iPad next. The woman did not have an Ontario health card and it was not friendly to her. I decided to check with reception that I was indeed on the list to see the doctor. I was. The woman and her daughter had to do more work to get her on there.
I sat down. There were a handful of seats. The man next to me was watching a video in Hindi on his phone at full blast. So rude. Maybe I'm far more respectful, but I'd be embarrassed watching a video with full-on volume in a public waiting area. I was not impressed.
I got called to go into room 1. I thanked the woman. I got here and someone was already there. There was a female staff member who immediately helped lost me out. She spoke to reception and then had me go into room 1. I met the doctor on staff who was there. He was friendly and said that he'd be with me soon as he went to the next room.
I got a nurse who diagnosed my issue with my left wrist. I like that you get an assessment with a nurse before seeing the doctor.
This place prides itself on shorter wait times. It's true, albeit subjective. I got whisked away to a room in roughly 25 minutes. That was cool. I saw a doctor fifteen minutes after that, with a nurse visit before that. It's not bad compared to seeing my family doctor.
My doctor was competent and reassuring. He pressed on my wrist area. He confirmed that I have wrist inflammation. I have a form of wrist tendonitis likely due to my daily work tasks.
He got me a prescription for anti-inflammatory medication and a wrist-thumb splint. I'm on monitor mode for two weeks, wearing the splint practically all the time and taking my medication. I thanked him, fetched my prescription at reception, thanked the two women there, and headed to my car.
I had a great experience here under the circumstances. It beats heading over to a walk-in clinic without an appointment and waiting for hours.
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