Gastro

[muchdutch]

I just post this here because I'm not sure where else gastro comments would go.

 

I have recently been referred to a gastroenterologist. I just got the letter in the mail today confirming my appointment with the doctor..... ON DECEMBER 8th!!!!!

 

Sad state of affairs, our medical system.

 

That is all.

[tuss]

first of all - Gastroenterology is a subspecialty of internal medicine so the surgical specialties is not the appropriate category.

 

Second of all, pre-med and medical students do not have any control over individual physicians wait times.

 

I can tell you however, that new consults are triaged based on the the severity of the patients symptoms. Urgent consults are often seen within days, and non-urgent ones are sometimes not seen for years. If you feel that you should be seen sooner than go to your GP (or the person that referred you) and speak to them. If they feel you should be seen more urgently then they can make a call on your behalf and make it happen.

[Ian Wong]

As tuss mentions, GI is a fellowship specialty done through internal medicine. Along with cardiology, it's one of the most procedure-intensive subspecialties of internal medicine.

 

Within the Canadian system, there's much heavier use of the triaging system than in the US. As someone who is doing their residency in the US, I can attest to the fact that if you need a scope AND you have insurance, you could probably get your consult and scope done within the week, even if it was an entirely non-emergent and for a potentially bogus reason. There's simply way more capacity in the US for everything, whether that be in imaging, OR time, or endoscopy suites. The kicker is that you need insurance in order to access it reliably.

 

Ian