Yes. You need a letter from another physician or a nurse practitioner, preferably your own primary care provider, in order to be scheduled for consultation with a physician at Skin Care West. You must be assessed in-person by the referring physician/nurse practitioner or your referral will not be accepted. (In keeping with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. Virtual Care Practice Standard)

Yes. Ongoing care at Skin Care West requires a re-referral letter approximately once per year.  Exception would be if the physician that you last saw at Skin Care West specifically told you that you will continue to be followed under the “implicit re-referral” guideline.
Your Family Physician or Nurse Practitioner (your primary care provider) has the important role of working with you to manage and prioritize your medical care. Please discuss with your primary care provider whether referral back to Skin Care West is indicated. They may choose to perform your skin examination and/or resume management of your skin issues.

Yes. Our catchment extends from Duncan to Bowser and includes Port Alberni and communities on the West Coast.

It can take several weeks for you to be notified by email of your scheduled consultation. Sometimes the wait to get an actual booking date is significantly longer as patients are added our wait list.

Start off by contacting your pharmacy since often there are renewals on the original prescription. Most prescription renewals, especially prescription creams, ointments, and gels can be renewed by your own physician or nurse practitioner. Other prescriptions may need to be renewed by one of our physicians. Contact us to set up an appointment to have your prescription renewed. We can not renew prescriptions for patients that are no longer patients at Skin Care West. Note that we need a referral letter on file approximately once per year for you to remain an ongoing patient of Skin Care West.

We notify your doctor/nurse practitioner’s office when we receive your referral. Please DO NOT contact us asking this question. You can contact your own doctor/nurse practitioner’s office if you want an update. We will contact you when we have a booking date to offer.

The time to see a physician varies with the reported urgency of your case in the referral letter that we receive from your primary care provider. For most cases, the wait is approximately 18-24 months. Please let your physician or nurse practitioner know if your condition is getting worse.

No-show violations are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Patients who don’t show up for scheduled appointments are blocking access for other patients who would have benefited from that appointment time. Depending on the circumstances, patients may be charged a no-show fee or permanently discharged from the practice.

A Dermatology consultation focuses on the question or concern raised by the family doctor or nurse practitioner in the referral letter. Secondary problems often require a separate referral letter.

Email is our main form of communication. We use it to send appointment reminders and intake questionnaires directly linked to your medical chart. Some patients unable to use email have designated trusted family members or caregivers to manage their communications.

Coming from North Island along the Parkway (#19):

• Take exit 29 onto Island Highway (#1) (after passing Ware Rd. )
• Left at 3rd light onto Dickinson Rd. (at the Woodgrove Chrysler)
• First right onto Portsmouth Rd.
• We are ½ way down on the right side
• Building is set further back on property
• Stay to the left of the building where the main entrance is located

Coming from South Island along the Parkway (#19):

• Take the first exit after the Aulds Rd. lights right onto Mary Ellen Dr.
• Right onto Island Highway (#1)
• Left at next light onto Dickinson Rd.
• First right onto Portsmouth Rd.
• We are ½ way down on the right side
• Building is set further back on property
• Stay to the left of the building where the main entrance is located

Coming from the south along Island Highway #1

• Right onto Dickinson Rd. (at the Woodgrove Chrysler)
• First right onto Portsmouth Rd.
• We are ½ way down on the right side
• Building is set further back on property
• Stay to the left of the building where the main entrance is located

1. Vulgar words or actions
2. Physical or verbal threats and assaults
3. Disrupting another patient’s care or experience
4. Offensive comments about others’ race, accent, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or other personal traits
5. Refusal to see a clinician or other staff member based on these personal traits

Skin Care West has a FRAGRANCE FREE policy. Scented products can aggravate health problems for some people, especially those with asthma, allergies and other medical conditions. Please avoid use of scented personal care products when visiting our clinic.