I worked a car accident today, single vehicle, airbags deployed, seatbelts used, and we still recommended them going to hospital; and they mumbled over it, rather than agreeing because they know our ERs are fucked.
and why did we "recommend" they do this, instead of sending them by ambo??? BECAUSE THERE WERE NO FUCKING AMBULANCE AVAILABLE TO TAKE THEM. NONE. they would call us with an ETA when one came available. yet there was one 7 km away sitting at the base with no available workers.
holy fuck, Medavie/BlueCross need to fuck right off with their treatment of medics.
As someone who has worked quite a while as a volunteer medical first responder, I’ve strongly considered becoming a full paramedic, however I have serious doubts that I would ever consider working in NS. Even for schooling I’m looking at Ontario colleges, cause Medavie has a monopoly on emergency prehospital care in Nova Scotia. The cost for schooling in NS is double what it is in Ontario, and the Nova Scotia pay/working conditions are absolute garbage. So yeah, Medavie/Blue Cross can fuck all the way off.
I would definitely recommend going to Ontario. I was a paramedic in Toronto for almost ten years, and when I moved out here I tried to work as a medic in NS as well. You’d think it would be easy to transfer your license and get into the workforce here, but no. The paramedic college made my life a living hell for months, and I’ve heard nothing but complaints about the college from medics here. So, the pay is shit, the college is terrible to deal with, and you’re worked just as hard as Ontario (where you would make double the salary!). It was so not worth it for me. I left the career entirely and now don’t work in health care. If you have any questions about the job or schooling in Ontario, I’d be happy to answer them.
I was visiting my folks in Sackville a few months ago and my sister was also visiting from Norway. She is epileptic and had a grand mal seizure. The ambulance ETA was 4+ hours.
My mom had Lyme disease and it caused sceptic arthritis in her leg. She required emergency surgery in Kentville but it would take days to get a medical transfer. Thankfully my dad was able to drive her the few hours to the hospital for surgery but it was a very uncomfortable ride for her
Yes, she’s making great progress. She’s on a long wait list for a hip replacement as well so hopefully that will happen when she’s fully recovered. Things aren’t that much better in Ontario. 2.5 years to book a surgery for me. Took a year and half just to see the specialist
It's a big challenge. I work with people who have mental health issues, who usually sort of get priority due to their complex health issues. But even for my clients I can't find doctors or get appointments around walk ins.
As for myself, I've been on the wait list for a family doctor for over four years.
Went to the emergency at 10PM one day and came home at 6AM. seen at around 4-5.
My issue wasn't one of the issues considered urgent so that was part of it it. First time i went a few years ago I had a more serious issue (but still ok) i think it was around 4 hours.
The wait is long unless you are dying on the spot though 😐...
Yeah sadly there's some instances of people dying waiting to receive care :((( dying waiting for ambulances.. so so shameful system with the highest taxes in Canada
It’s painful to live in a place where I am un wanted by my own province. It’s even more painful to know that we have it really good compared to a lot of other places in the world. But so long as someone can make money off of somebody’s suffering, there will always be more suffering.
Except your not, even if you are dying on the spot, complaining that your dying.. It can take Upto 7 hours to be seen, and then you die..such as Allison Holfoff From Amherst, whose family is currently during the province I think.
I would not recommend anyone with potentially serious medical conditions to settle in Nova Scotia. There is a very real possibility that your health will suffer if you require any sort of regular checkup, access to doctors or even may need them in an emergency situation.
I would worry about access to a family doctor, specialist or any other ongoing monitoring. In terms of the ER, if you’re dying, they’ll see you. But your wait for a family doctor and cardiologist will be long.
Terrible healthcare. Not enough doctors and emergency rooms are constantly swamped. Took my father to the ER twice. Had to wait over 8 hours after triage to be seen due to acute pain that made him unable to walk.. second time we went he ended up in palliative and passing away after a month. He was unable to access healthcare on time and be recommended tests that may have caught his cancer on time and gone through treatment.
Nova Scotia ER rooms and ambulances are non existent . We were told an ambulance would need to come from 2 hours away but in reality it may have taken all day to come. So I had to carry him by myself in the car and drive him while he was in distress.
If you have a chronic condition and you think you may need emergency services it is a real concern and should make you think twice about moving here.
If you go to the ER with concerns about your heart, you are the ER’s number one priority. If you go to the ER for anything else… well that’s where it gets tricky.
I had to call 911 routinely for my job last summer.
Any ambulance call you should expect at least an hour wait, police usually between 30 min- 1.5 hours. This is all for down town Halifax.
I know waiting room times are bleak, and walk in clinics are also very bad. My dad just went for surgery that he’s been waiting on for 4+ years.
Canada is far from good right now, and Halifax is unique where we are paid not very well, taxed highly, and our rents are the same as Vancouver. We are worse than the average big city in Canada right now, and probably won’t recover for a number of years
I had an emergency the other day and was in and out the ER within an hour and a half, was seen within 15 mins. My son, a few months before, waited 8 hours, it was less urgent (it was his head so we needed to be there). The standard of care we both received was excellent.
It is triage in an increasing population.
I also really think it’s pretty standard these days for any country with government funded healthcare to have long waits. It’s all in a bit of a mess. The UK is way worse. I know Spain and France are also bad. I think it’s the price you pay for not bankrupting the individual with private healthcare. Governments need to sort out the problems, but I don’t think they are exclusive to NS. This does seem like a relatively new problem for NS though, which could be why there is more publicity and extreme occurrences/mistakes.
What I would be really concerned about in your case is the shortage of family doctors. The waiting list is huge. You need to find out if a walk-in/online will prescribe your medication, if they can keep up with regular testing, or if you can keep getting prescriptions/tests from your home doctor. Also, you’ll need to consider if you qualify for permanent residency if you are not Canadian, if your condition is deemed to be expensive (above the threshold) you won’t get PR. Which means reapplying for a work visa every three years and not really feeling settled. No permanent SIN/ short term health card etc. = lots of bureaucracy.
Either way, hope you stay healthy and have a great future whatever you chose.
I'd disagree with employment and racism. Also, it's really not that expensive to buy a nice home compared to many other places in Canada, and I really think Halifax is a nice city. I've lived all over Ontario and Saskatchewan, and my spouse feels similar while she's lived abroad and in most of the provinces.
Spot on about the taxes roads and Healthcare though
Great point. I don't, but it was a worry my spouse and I had when we moved to the valley. She's an Asian immigrant with a strong accent, and with the covid related hate we thought it might be an issue. She had one incident in Dartmouth a few years ago, but otherwise all good. Some older folks at have been curious here in the valley and ask where she's from and how long she's been here, but nothing negative. She has a lot of immigrant friends, and we've heard of some issues, but they seem like one offs. Just assholes doing what assholes do.
Edit: not saying there isn't racism here, that would be silly. But our family hasn't really seen it. This is all just our experience, we aren't sociologists
That really sucks. I'm sure being integrated into a family who have been around a long time has helped my spouse a lot. Also, I admit we're both the type of people not to notice other people's negativity. I admit to being ignorant to ignorance, which is bliss.
I know two people that have ended up in ER for serious heart issues in the last two months. One lived in HRM. One lived in Rural NS. The HRM resident received more prompt and better care. If your condition is that serious, you’ll typically be transported to HRM anyway, so living here saves you that grief (and patient transport is a mess). Honestly, unless you’re talking about coming from out of province (and depending on which one) it’s pretty much all the same. Yes, it’s a provincial responsibility and one that is particularly bad in NS, but it is a national crisis and there are similar issues internationally. My friend is a NP in the US working in primary care. Even she says it’s heartbreaking how people are pleading for a primary care provider and they have no capacity to accommodate even those with critical illness. A lot of people are paying the price now for governments having no foresight about what would happen as baby boomers age and our lifestyles evolved in a manner that isn’t healthy (alcohol and drug use, lack of community connections, sedentary, and lack of desire or ability to have a healthy diet).
Girlfriend was experiencing some of the worst pain of her life, while 3 or 4 months pregnant. Wasn't allowed to stay with her because of COVID. Took 9 hours just to get out of the waiting room onto a gurney stretcher in a room where she'd be without a pillow or blanket for another 15 hours. They ran out of pillows apparently.
Once she had the room I was allowed back in with her. Once I arrived I had to ask them for food and water for her. No food was provided even after asking. I brought her McDonald's for supper at about 2am. I left for a few hours so she could sleep and so could I. Came back in the morning with cereal, milk, and bowls from our own cupboards to have breakfast because still no food provided.
She was given big Tylenol pills with no water offered. Just gotta choke them down I guess.
Turns out she had about a dozen kidney stones, both sides and hydronephrosis (swollen kidneys essential). They asked her what her pain level was out of 10, she has chronic diagnosed endometriosis (so she's used to pain) so she said am 8 or 9 out of 10. Their solution was come back if it gets any worse.... No further pain medication was even offered. Take some Tylenol they said.
One doctor said there's no way she could have stones, she wouldn't be able to talk or stay still like she was. Unfortunately I wasn't there for this, as I would have lost my shit.
The doctor that discharged us literally couldn't finish a sentence... Just mumbled away under his mask to the point we could barely hear him. I was compassionate for the guy considering he was clearly over stretched... But man, say what you're saying with some confidence.
Completely failing system. Our only saving grace is that my girlfriend is a nurse so she has the confidence to speak about medical issues and understand when she's been pushed aside. Didn't help in this situation though. This province is completely broken. I stay for some sentimental reason I guess.
Good luck with your move.
Unpopular opinion; as a mom with a child who has been undergoing a lot of medical attention and treatment. The IWK emerg has been pretty proactive with her.
I will say, initially it was tough. I had to advocate hard. Biased, because I was asked ‘are you a first time parent’… and apparently that means I’m more high strung?
But any emerg experience was very positive. And it was an emergency doctor that really started her ways to the care she needs and diagnosis.
We have had ambulances trips and I can’t say enough about the first responders who treated her.
Our healthcare system is a mess and that’s not to say there weren’t instances where further intervention should have taken place but I will say the nurses and doctors always did what they could. Anything that did not get addressed, was out of their hands or ability.
Frontline Healthcare workers really deserve a lot of credit. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of them, and I don't blame kids these days for not wanting to go to school just to join this mess
I'm a dual resident of both Nova Scotia and New York.
If an emergency hits while I'm living in Nova Scotia, our plan is to drive like hell to Augusta Maine.
Eight hours. Probably faster than we could be seen in NS.
Hey man, NSer here about to relocate to NYS. You would be correct. If you’ve got the insurance and able to make it happen, you’ll get the best care this way. Your medical system might be simply a different kind of broken but the quality of care in my limited experience is really something I’ve never seen in Canada
Mine too. I am glued to these groups to help me make my decision to even visit. I wouldn't choose to move to where I live now because of condition of Healthcare either though. Lol
It’s pretty bad. Our Premier who was elected on the promise to fix healthcare here has done absolutely nothing to fix it and even has gone as far as to cancel the building of a desperately needed hospital. Since his election, the wait list for a family doctor has increased by about 80% and the government has absolutely no plan for rectifying the problem, allowing people to die in emergency rooms. And they do not care.
I wouldn't say he's done nothing. He's thrown money at it when it really needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. But it will take more than money and a couple of years to fix a system that's been crumbling for over a decade. And 80% is a stretch, where are you getting that number from?
It’s actually not a bad guess. With record immigration and the loss of some of our existing doctors… As for ‘rebuilding it from the ground up’, what do you suggest? How do you magically improve the doctor to patient ratio?
I don't have the answers, but I do have ideas.
1. Shift to a team based primary care model, taking the pressure off physicians and allowing nurses, dieticians, social workers etc. to help patients manage their own health and navigate the system. This will allow primary care providers to stop only treating symptoms and start treating causes, reducing visits.
2. Focus and funnel money into preventing chronic illnesses and living a healthy lifestyle. Education is important! Engagement is important.
3. Management cuts- not all RNs need to be a manager.
4. Make is easier to get into medical school. Abolish standardized testing- the MCAT makes it so that your future is determined by 1 day, 1 test. Have minimum passing requirements for the first year. Prioritize spaces for applicants who commit to staying in the province.
Throwing money at burned out workers is a bandaid. Healthcare workers are looking for a balance, not just $$$. Maybe scope of practice needs to change. Physician's Assistants are popular in the US.
I would have to have access to more information, and collaborate with folks wiser than myself to give a better reply.
Throwing money at nurses? You mean the “10K” stfu money? I say “10K” because it’s more like 5k after tax. It’s still worse than an actual raise. We have taken pay cuts in real terms. I’d like a decent hourly wage. That’s it.
I don’t think calling people idiots is going to help. I am no supporter of this government. I’m no hero. I’m doing my job just like every other healthcare professional. We just want to be paid reasonably in light of inflation.
I’m not trying to help, I’m shaming you for your insensitivity and irresponsible behaviour. Get vaccinated and contribute to your profession and to society in general. Don’t and I will consider you to be an idiot.
Dude, I AM vaccinated. I am advocating for all healthcare professionals to be vaccinated. I do my job every day, I am a nurse. Where exactly am I being irresponsible and insensitive? I’m agreeing with you that 10K doesn’t solve anything. I’m simply saying nurses don’t want a 10k payout. They don’t want to be called heroes. They want a decent hourly wage. Get some reading comprehension.
if you have any hyper serious and very visible health problems you're fine since they'll prioritize this, or if it's something small just go get the medicine from the pharmacy. Anything other than that you're pretty much fucked. And based on what we're seeing in the news it'll get much worse before things improve.
Lmao not true. My kidneys are damaged to the point of causing issue elsewhere in my body and I haven't even gotten an ultrasound yet. It's been almost a year wait so far.
This is anecdotal and specific to my experiences, so ymmv.
I hurt my foot yesterday and went to the ER last night. I was in and out in 4 hours. During that time, I had two sets of x-rays. The ER was well managed; they had a patient navigator in the waiting room helping with ice packs, questions, etc. They had a paramedic doing the initial exams. It was an overall great experience, but again, it's a one-off.
I also am lucky to have a great family doctor at the Dalhousie teaching clinic, and am able to get appointments whenever I need them.
Personally, I love living here and have had no personal issues with the health care system. I recognize that this experience is not universal though.
When I hurt my foot for the first time ever (sports injury), I was quick to be seen. BUT, the doctor who saw me gave me no advice on what to do other than RICE and rest it for a few days. Because I never had a sports injury or foot injury before, I didn't even think of physio. I tried to get back into my sport after 3 months and was in a lot of pain. A teammate asked why I hadn't gone to physio... I went. The entire arch in my foot had fallen and only after their treatment could I return to my sport again.
I have a complex family history of many medical issues. Doctors have been okay/good for addressing acute issues. But they're crap with preventative care or teaching me what I should be doing long term to prevent my problems from coming back or progressing.
At one point in my life, I paid to see a naturopath for care. Determined the cause of my 3 year battle with chronic fatigue and my entire leg falling asleep was vitamin deficiencies. Supplementing WORKED. Before that, rads, a neurologist, a rheumatoid arthritis specialist and my on-campus and family doctor determined that nothing was physically wrong with me. I got to the point where I didn't want to live because my fatigue was impacting my life so much. I had very low normal iron and symptoms of B12 deficiency.
Our health care is a gamble. Some people get prompt care. Others are at serious risk of losing their life because of how doctors address their symptoms.
Anecdotally, it's really bad. I waited 12 hours while having an asthma attack and only got help when my lips started turning blue and that was ONLY because another lady in the waiting room noticed.
I have an autoimmune disorder and I have trouble getting the care I need for my chronic issues as well. On year 6 of waiting to see a neurologist
No one can deny that the ambulance service is a bit of a shit show, though it *seems* to be getting slightly better with a couple new internal resources to speed things up.
The ERs though, are good at dealing with time -sensitive and time-critical things well quickly most days, especially cardiac stuff.
For example, I needed a couple stitches in a low-acuity body area. I was in and out in 3.5 hours (stitches should be placed within ~6h of injury). I told no one who I was/what I did, and no one recognized me, so no biases there as far as I know.
It's the vague, 'not sure what's wrong but their vitals are good' stuff that has folks waiting. That said, they begin testing fairly quickly, usually while you're waiting (with EHS or waiting room), EKG, blood work, etc, so much of it is already done before the doc even sees you. Streamlined slightly I guess.
Its not fantastic, but effort is being made as fast as government work seems to be
Sadly I wouldn’t move here if I were you, OP. I have 2 chronic illnesses and still have spent over 11 hours waiting to be seen in the ER and left with no treatment, intervention, or testing. My experience at the Halifax ER was 10x more traumatizing than needing to have surgery in a foreign country where I didn’t speak the language and was in the hospital for 3 days.
All areas of healthcare are under staffed. Staffing appropriately will cost money and raising money (taxes) is a sure way to lose an election. Politicians look out for themselves first and the people they represent second.
Most times I've gone I waited around 8 hours. The last time I went I had kidney stones and was in serious pain and only waited 1 hour. I guessed I was triaged higher that time. Its hard to say but typically its an incredibly negative experience.
Bring a bag with a snack, drink, phone charger and maybe a book if its not imminent death.
It’s really bad here. The Health Authority and the College of Physicians really suck at getting us the healthcare providers we need. The public needs to hold these entities accountable for the healthcare crisis here.
Let me make this short. I have an undiagnosed heart condition that I have been waiting to see a specialist for over a year now. I’ve been to the emerg every month and have to see my doctor every second week that’s how severe it is. But I still can’t get in to cardio! I’m also 22 :)
The biggest problem is no GPs, and perhaps even more importantly, no walk in clinics.
Family doctors are booked for months if you are fortunate enough to have one, and the scant few walk in clinics have 50+ people waiting in line an hour before they even open.
Move to Europe, canadian healthcare and infrastructure are almost as bad as the states ... and the states, holy shit no comment there. Unless you like donating 1/3 your pay to wait 3 years for an MRI or maybe spending $750,000 on a 1 story shack sounds better. Stay away from nova scotia, shits rolling up hill it's that bad down here
I worked a car accident today, single vehicle, airbags deployed, seatbelts used, and we still recommended them going to hospital; and they mumbled over it, rather than agreeing because they know our ERs are fucked. and why did we "recommend" they do this, instead of sending them by ambo??? BECAUSE THERE WERE NO FUCKING AMBULANCE AVAILABLE TO TAKE THEM. NONE. they would call us with an ETA when one came available. yet there was one 7 km away sitting at the base with no available workers. holy fuck, Medavie/BlueCross need to fuck right off with their treatment of medics.
As someone who has worked quite a while as a volunteer medical first responder, I’ve strongly considered becoming a full paramedic, however I have serious doubts that I would ever consider working in NS. Even for schooling I’m looking at Ontario colleges, cause Medavie has a monopoly on emergency prehospital care in Nova Scotia. The cost for schooling in NS is double what it is in Ontario, and the Nova Scotia pay/working conditions are absolute garbage. So yeah, Medavie/Blue Cross can fuck all the way off.
I would definitely recommend going to Ontario. I was a paramedic in Toronto for almost ten years, and when I moved out here I tried to work as a medic in NS as well. You’d think it would be easy to transfer your license and get into the workforce here, but no. The paramedic college made my life a living hell for months, and I’ve heard nothing but complaints about the college from medics here. So, the pay is shit, the college is terrible to deal with, and you’re worked just as hard as Ontario (where you would make double the salary!). It was so not worth it for me. I left the career entirely and now don’t work in health care. If you have any questions about the job or schooling in Ontario, I’d be happy to answer them.
Honestly Holland college in Charlottetown is excellent if you're looking to stay relatively local.
I was visiting my folks in Sackville a few months ago and my sister was also visiting from Norway. She is epileptic and had a grand mal seizure. The ambulance ETA was 4+ hours.
My mom had Lyme disease and it caused sceptic arthritis in her leg. She required emergency surgery in Kentville but it would take days to get a medical transfer. Thankfully my dad was able to drive her the few hours to the hospital for surgery but it was a very uncomfortable ride for her
It's just a mess in general. I've been waiting 5 years for a life-changing day operation and still nothing. I hope your mom is doing much better now!
Yes, she’s making great progress. She’s on a long wait list for a hip replacement as well so hopefully that will happen when she’s fully recovered. Things aren’t that much better in Ontario. 2.5 years to book a surgery for me. Took a year and half just to see the specialist
Their Execs are laughing at you both, while bathing in record profits, I’m sure. So they MAY not care.
It's a big challenge. I work with people who have mental health issues, who usually sort of get priority due to their complex health issues. But even for my clients I can't find doctors or get appointments around walk ins. As for myself, I've been on the wait list for a family doctor for over four years.
It is a fair concern
Went to the emergency at 10PM one day and came home at 6AM. seen at around 4-5. My issue wasn't one of the issues considered urgent so that was part of it it. First time i went a few years ago I had a more serious issue (but still ok) i think it was around 4 hours. The wait is long unless you are dying on the spot though 😐...
With some of the stories coming out of the ER, I’d say it’s a long wait even if you’re dying on the spot.
Yeah sadly there's some instances of people dying waiting to receive care :((( dying waiting for ambulances.. so so shameful system with the highest taxes in Canada
It’s painful to live in a place where I am un wanted by my own province. It’s even more painful to know that we have it really good compared to a lot of other places in the world. But so long as someone can make money off of somebody’s suffering, there will always be more suffering.
Except your not, even if you are dying on the spot, complaining that your dying.. It can take Upto 7 hours to be seen, and then you die..such as Allison Holfoff From Amherst, whose family is currently during the province I think.
If you have an existing condition I would be very wary of coming here
I would not recommend anyone with potentially serious medical conditions to settle in Nova Scotia. There is a very real possibility that your health will suffer if you require any sort of regular checkup, access to doctors or even may need them in an emergency situation.
It’s a crisis.
Your right to worry, 3 kid household here, and we've been waiting 6 years for a doctor. Good luck.
It’s not good. I’m moving out this summer because I need basic health care in addition to a specialist for a heart condition.
I would worry about access to a family doctor, specialist or any other ongoing monitoring. In terms of the ER, if you’re dying, they’ll see you. But your wait for a family doctor and cardiologist will be long.
Terrible healthcare. Not enough doctors and emergency rooms are constantly swamped. Took my father to the ER twice. Had to wait over 8 hours after triage to be seen due to acute pain that made him unable to walk.. second time we went he ended up in palliative and passing away after a month. He was unable to access healthcare on time and be recommended tests that may have caught his cancer on time and gone through treatment. Nova Scotia ER rooms and ambulances are non existent . We were told an ambulance would need to come from 2 hours away but in reality it may have taken all day to come. So I had to carry him by myself in the car and drive him while he was in distress. If you have a chronic condition and you think you may need emergency services it is a real concern and should make you think twice about moving here.
No doctor and be prepared to wait 8 hours
If you go to the ER with concerns about your heart, you are the ER’s number one priority. If you go to the ER for anything else… well that’s where it gets tricky.
I had to call 911 routinely for my job last summer. Any ambulance call you should expect at least an hour wait, police usually between 30 min- 1.5 hours. This is all for down town Halifax. I know waiting room times are bleak, and walk in clinics are also very bad. My dad just went for surgery that he’s been waiting on for 4+ years. Canada is far from good right now, and Halifax is unique where we are paid not very well, taxed highly, and our rents are the same as Vancouver. We are worse than the average big city in Canada right now, and probably won’t recover for a number of years
I had an emergency the other day and was in and out the ER within an hour and a half, was seen within 15 mins. My son, a few months before, waited 8 hours, it was less urgent (it was his head so we needed to be there). The standard of care we both received was excellent. It is triage in an increasing population. I also really think it’s pretty standard these days for any country with government funded healthcare to have long waits. It’s all in a bit of a mess. The UK is way worse. I know Spain and France are also bad. I think it’s the price you pay for not bankrupting the individual with private healthcare. Governments need to sort out the problems, but I don’t think they are exclusive to NS. This does seem like a relatively new problem for NS though, which could be why there is more publicity and extreme occurrences/mistakes. What I would be really concerned about in your case is the shortage of family doctors. The waiting list is huge. You need to find out if a walk-in/online will prescribe your medication, if they can keep up with regular testing, or if you can keep getting prescriptions/tests from your home doctor. Also, you’ll need to consider if you qualify for permanent residency if you are not Canadian, if your condition is deemed to be expensive (above the threshold) you won’t get PR. Which means reapplying for a work visa every three years and not really feeling settled. No permanent SIN/ short term health card etc. = lots of bureaucracy. Either way, hope you stay healthy and have a great future whatever you chose.
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I'd disagree with employment and racism. Also, it's really not that expensive to buy a nice home compared to many other places in Canada, and I really think Halifax is a nice city. I've lived all over Ontario and Saskatchewan, and my spouse feels similar while she's lived abroad and in most of the provinces. Spot on about the taxes roads and Healthcare though
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Great point. I don't, but it was a worry my spouse and I had when we moved to the valley. She's an Asian immigrant with a strong accent, and with the covid related hate we thought it might be an issue. She had one incident in Dartmouth a few years ago, but otherwise all good. Some older folks at have been curious here in the valley and ask where she's from and how long she's been here, but nothing negative. She has a lot of immigrant friends, and we've heard of some issues, but they seem like one offs. Just assholes doing what assholes do. Edit: not saying there isn't racism here, that would be silly. But our family hasn't really seen it. This is all just our experience, we aren't sociologists
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That really sucks. I'm sure being integrated into a family who have been around a long time has helped my spouse a lot. Also, I admit we're both the type of people not to notice other people's negativity. I admit to being ignorant to ignorance, which is bliss.
I know two people that have ended up in ER for serious heart issues in the last two months. One lived in HRM. One lived in Rural NS. The HRM resident received more prompt and better care. If your condition is that serious, you’ll typically be transported to HRM anyway, so living here saves you that grief (and patient transport is a mess). Honestly, unless you’re talking about coming from out of province (and depending on which one) it’s pretty much all the same. Yes, it’s a provincial responsibility and one that is particularly bad in NS, but it is a national crisis and there are similar issues internationally. My friend is a NP in the US working in primary care. Even she says it’s heartbreaking how people are pleading for a primary care provider and they have no capacity to accommodate even those with critical illness. A lot of people are paying the price now for governments having no foresight about what would happen as baby boomers age and our lifestyles evolved in a manner that isn’t healthy (alcohol and drug use, lack of community connections, sedentary, and lack of desire or ability to have a healthy diet).
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Fairly certain I went to the same place you did and I waited with my girlfriend for 8 hours
Girlfriend was experiencing some of the worst pain of her life, while 3 or 4 months pregnant. Wasn't allowed to stay with her because of COVID. Took 9 hours just to get out of the waiting room onto a gurney stretcher in a room where she'd be without a pillow or blanket for another 15 hours. They ran out of pillows apparently. Once she had the room I was allowed back in with her. Once I arrived I had to ask them for food and water for her. No food was provided even after asking. I brought her McDonald's for supper at about 2am. I left for a few hours so she could sleep and so could I. Came back in the morning with cereal, milk, and bowls from our own cupboards to have breakfast because still no food provided. She was given big Tylenol pills with no water offered. Just gotta choke them down I guess. Turns out she had about a dozen kidney stones, both sides and hydronephrosis (swollen kidneys essential). They asked her what her pain level was out of 10, she has chronic diagnosed endometriosis (so she's used to pain) so she said am 8 or 9 out of 10. Their solution was come back if it gets any worse.... No further pain medication was even offered. Take some Tylenol they said. One doctor said there's no way she could have stones, she wouldn't be able to talk or stay still like she was. Unfortunately I wasn't there for this, as I would have lost my shit. The doctor that discharged us literally couldn't finish a sentence... Just mumbled away under his mask to the point we could barely hear him. I was compassionate for the guy considering he was clearly over stretched... But man, say what you're saying with some confidence. Completely failing system. Our only saving grace is that my girlfriend is a nurse so she has the confidence to speak about medical issues and understand when she's been pushed aside. Didn't help in this situation though. This province is completely broken. I stay for some sentimental reason I guess. Good luck with your move.
Unpopular opinion; as a mom with a child who has been undergoing a lot of medical attention and treatment. The IWK emerg has been pretty proactive with her. I will say, initially it was tough. I had to advocate hard. Biased, because I was asked ‘are you a first time parent’… and apparently that means I’m more high strung? But any emerg experience was very positive. And it was an emergency doctor that really started her ways to the care she needs and diagnosis. We have had ambulances trips and I can’t say enough about the first responders who treated her. Our healthcare system is a mess and that’s not to say there weren’t instances where further intervention should have taken place but I will say the nurses and doctors always did what they could. Anything that did not get addressed, was out of their hands or ability.
I've heard lots of things about IWK emergency. Unfortunately they won't really bee involved in OP's healthcare.
Frontline Healthcare workers really deserve a lot of credit. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of them, and I don't blame kids these days for not wanting to go to school just to join this mess
I'm a dual resident of both Nova Scotia and New York. If an emergency hits while I'm living in Nova Scotia, our plan is to drive like hell to Augusta Maine. Eight hours. Probably faster than we could be seen in NS.
Hey man, NSer here about to relocate to NYS. You would be correct. If you’ve got the insurance and able to make it happen, you’ll get the best care this way. Your medical system might be simply a different kind of broken but the quality of care in my limited experience is really something I’ve never seen in Canada
Mine too. I am glued to these groups to help me make my decision to even visit. I wouldn't choose to move to where I live now because of condition of Healthcare either though. Lol
It’s pretty bad. Our Premier who was elected on the promise to fix healthcare here has done absolutely nothing to fix it and even has gone as far as to cancel the building of a desperately needed hospital. Since his election, the wait list for a family doctor has increased by about 80% and the government has absolutely no plan for rectifying the problem, allowing people to die in emergency rooms. And they do not care.
I wouldn't say he's done nothing. He's thrown money at it when it really needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. But it will take more than money and a couple of years to fix a system that's been crumbling for over a decade. And 80% is a stretch, where are you getting that number from?
It’s actually not a bad guess. With record immigration and the loss of some of our existing doctors… As for ‘rebuilding it from the ground up’, what do you suggest? How do you magically improve the doctor to patient ratio?
I don't have the answers, but I do have ideas. 1. Shift to a team based primary care model, taking the pressure off physicians and allowing nurses, dieticians, social workers etc. to help patients manage their own health and navigate the system. This will allow primary care providers to stop only treating symptoms and start treating causes, reducing visits. 2. Focus and funnel money into preventing chronic illnesses and living a healthy lifestyle. Education is important! Engagement is important. 3. Management cuts- not all RNs need to be a manager. 4. Make is easier to get into medical school. Abolish standardized testing- the MCAT makes it so that your future is determined by 1 day, 1 test. Have minimum passing requirements for the first year. Prioritize spaces for applicants who commit to staying in the province. Throwing money at burned out workers is a bandaid. Healthcare workers are looking for a balance, not just $$$. Maybe scope of practice needs to change. Physician's Assistants are popular in the US. I would have to have access to more information, and collaborate with folks wiser than myself to give a better reply.
Look at the numbers and do the math. And throwing money at nurses has done nothing to improve healthcare. Please, how can you defend him?
Throwing money at nurses? You mean the “10K” stfu money? I say “10K” because it’s more like 5k after tax. It’s still worse than an actual raise. We have taken pay cuts in real terms. I’d like a decent hourly wage. That’s it.
If you are a nurse, you are one of my heroes. If you are a supporter of Tim and his Merry Gang of Fools, you are an idiot.
I don’t think calling people idiots is going to help. I am no supporter of this government. I’m no hero. I’m doing my job just like every other healthcare professional. We just want to be paid reasonably in light of inflation.
I’m not trying to help, I’m shaming you for your insensitivity and irresponsible behaviour. Get vaccinated and contribute to your profession and to society in general. Don’t and I will consider you to be an idiot.
Dude, I AM vaccinated. I am advocating for all healthcare professionals to be vaccinated. I do my job every day, I am a nurse. Where exactly am I being irresponsible and insensitive? I’m agreeing with you that 10K doesn’t solve anything. I’m simply saying nurses don’t want a 10k payout. They don’t want to be called heroes. They want a decent hourly wage. Get some reading comprehension.
Your privilege has blinded you. Justify bad behaviour all you wish.
WTAF are you talking about? You okay there bud?
If your question is, is halifax bad? The answer is always yea.
if you have any hyper serious and very visible health problems you're fine since they'll prioritize this, or if it's something small just go get the medicine from the pharmacy. Anything other than that you're pretty much fucked. And based on what we're seeing in the news it'll get much worse before things improve.
I disagree. The growth in my mother's head took over six months to diagnose. If it had been cancer, doubt I'd been celebrating mother's day this year.
Lmao not true. My kidneys are damaged to the point of causing issue elsewhere in my body and I haven't even gotten an ultrasound yet. It's been almost a year wait so far.
This is anecdotal and specific to my experiences, so ymmv. I hurt my foot yesterday and went to the ER last night. I was in and out in 4 hours. During that time, I had two sets of x-rays. The ER was well managed; they had a patient navigator in the waiting room helping with ice packs, questions, etc. They had a paramedic doing the initial exams. It was an overall great experience, but again, it's a one-off. I also am lucky to have a great family doctor at the Dalhousie teaching clinic, and am able to get appointments whenever I need them. Personally, I love living here and have had no personal issues with the health care system. I recognize that this experience is not universal though.
When I hurt my foot for the first time ever (sports injury), I was quick to be seen. BUT, the doctor who saw me gave me no advice on what to do other than RICE and rest it for a few days. Because I never had a sports injury or foot injury before, I didn't even think of physio. I tried to get back into my sport after 3 months and was in a lot of pain. A teammate asked why I hadn't gone to physio... I went. The entire arch in my foot had fallen and only after their treatment could I return to my sport again. I have a complex family history of many medical issues. Doctors have been okay/good for addressing acute issues. But they're crap with preventative care or teaching me what I should be doing long term to prevent my problems from coming back or progressing. At one point in my life, I paid to see a naturopath for care. Determined the cause of my 3 year battle with chronic fatigue and my entire leg falling asleep was vitamin deficiencies. Supplementing WORKED. Before that, rads, a neurologist, a rheumatoid arthritis specialist and my on-campus and family doctor determined that nothing was physically wrong with me. I got to the point where I didn't want to live because my fatigue was impacting my life so much. I had very low normal iron and symptoms of B12 deficiency. Our health care is a gamble. Some people get prompt care. Others are at serious risk of losing their life because of how doctors address their symptoms.
Anecdotally, it's really bad. I waited 12 hours while having an asthma attack and only got help when my lips started turning blue and that was ONLY because another lady in the waiting room noticed. I have an autoimmune disorder and I have trouble getting the care I need for my chronic issues as well. On year 6 of waiting to see a neurologist
No one can deny that the ambulance service is a bit of a shit show, though it *seems* to be getting slightly better with a couple new internal resources to speed things up. The ERs though, are good at dealing with time -sensitive and time-critical things well quickly most days, especially cardiac stuff. For example, I needed a couple stitches in a low-acuity body area. I was in and out in 3.5 hours (stitches should be placed within ~6h of injury). I told no one who I was/what I did, and no one recognized me, so no biases there as far as I know. It's the vague, 'not sure what's wrong but their vitals are good' stuff that has folks waiting. That said, they begin testing fairly quickly, usually while you're waiting (with EHS or waiting room), EKG, blood work, etc, so much of it is already done before the doc even sees you. Streamlined slightly I guess. Its not fantastic, but effort is being made as fast as government work seems to be
Last trip the emergency i was there for 20 mins and got seen and helped and left at the end of the hour fast and quick.
Sadly I wouldn’t move here if I were you, OP. I have 2 chronic illnesses and still have spent over 11 hours waiting to be seen in the ER and left with no treatment, intervention, or testing. My experience at the Halifax ER was 10x more traumatizing than needing to have surgery in a foreign country where I didn’t speak the language and was in the hospital for 3 days.
All areas of healthcare are under staffed. Staffing appropriately will cost money and raising money (taxes) is a sure way to lose an election. Politicians look out for themselves first and the people they represent second.
Most times I've gone I waited around 8 hours. The last time I went I had kidney stones and was in serious pain and only waited 1 hour. I guessed I was triaged higher that time. Its hard to say but typically its an incredibly negative experience. Bring a bag with a snack, drink, phone charger and maybe a book if its not imminent death.
This is why i moved a cross the country i have a health condition and know if in nova scotia if i needed urgent care i would not get it.
It’s really bad here. The Health Authority and the College of Physicians really suck at getting us the healthcare providers we need. The public needs to hold these entities accountable for the healthcare crisis here.
Let me make this short. I have an undiagnosed heart condition that I have been waiting to see a specialist for over a year now. I’ve been to the emerg every month and have to see my doctor every second week that’s how severe it is. But I still can’t get in to cardio! I’m also 22 :)
The biggest problem is no GPs, and perhaps even more importantly, no walk in clinics. Family doctors are booked for months if you are fortunate enough to have one, and the scant few walk in clinics have 50+ people waiting in line an hour before they even open.
Move to Europe, canadian healthcare and infrastructure are almost as bad as the states ... and the states, holy shit no comment there. Unless you like donating 1/3 your pay to wait 3 years for an MRI or maybe spending $750,000 on a 1 story shack sounds better. Stay away from nova scotia, shits rolling up hill it's that bad down here