Hey all, im back from my medical exam from Dr. Chana's Office, i thought i'd write one a review since theres not many for Edmonton.

My Appointment was scheduled for 10:00am.

Woke up at 8 to shower etc. Caught the Number 1 Bus from West Edmonton Mall. Got off the bus at Jasper Ave and 113th Street. I walked down about 2 blocks south to Dr. Chana's "office" it is actually just a renovated house. I took a picture of it to post on this forum with my camera phone. it can be seen here:


So i got there around 9:30 for my 10:00 appt. I walked in and the receptionist (michelle) was actually really nice to me hahah. I was prepared to deal with a super cranky lady that hated her job, but she was friendly to me. I gave her my passport, my vaccinations, my 3 photos, my letter from the consulate and my 220 dollars in cash.

After that, she had me do a mini eye exam to check the conditions of my eyes. She then lead me into a room and told me to take EVERYTHING off including underwear and she gave me some paper sheet to "cover up". So i sat there, naked, for about 5 minutes until Dr. Chana came in. He was very friendly and professional. He went over the vaccinations records with me then went on to fill out his paper asking me about my past medical conditions (very general stuff, no problem)

After the questions, he then went to check my breathing and lungs, my reflexes, my blood pressure. After that, he told me to lie down and he put on some rubber gloves haha and poked around my armpit area(to see if the lymph nodes were swollen), my abdomen, and looked/felt my family jewels and that was it.

He gave me the requisitions for the blood work and xray and told me to go to the Hys Center to have it done.. I took a cab from his office to the Hys Center (cost me 10 dollars) When i got to the Hys Center, i went to the second floor to check into the medicenter. They told me to go back downstairs for have my blood taken. I waited about 15 minutes in the blood clinic and they took 3 vials of my blood. then i went back up stairs and waited in a room with about 34 people for my chest xray. I waited about 20-25 mins and got called in to the xray and that was it i went home. No hastle or anything.

I still have to ask the receptionists at Dr. Chana's office when i go to pick up my results to get a copy of the Vaccination Documentation Worksheet (Form DS-3025) I HOPE they'll give me it hahaha


On another note, I asked (Because i was curious) about the new vaccination (Gardasil) for women ages 11-26. Dr. Chana said that it is a new requirement and is very expensive. You should get it done ASAP.

Hey great review!

So, the gardasil - perhaps they are using immigrants as test subjects!

The thing is, I personally think the vaccine is brilliant, I also think that until it has been used for a while they don't really know what the effect will be.

If I had a daughter I would get her to have one. The thing is they seem to be completely disregarding the guidelines for this vaccine, as Carla mentioned in the other thread re her Daughter getting tested first. 20 or 27, does it really matter if you have had one or several partners? It seems to me it isn't indicated when the person has already been sexually active, unless they have been tested.

He didnt really go into detail with me about the Gardasil since he knew it didnt really matter to me (because im a guy) lol. He said you can have ANY doctor administer the vaccine, it just has to be documented as proof

Looks like I'm waiting till after my 27th birthday to have my medical.

Thanks for the info!!!

Okay, I think I'll just sit here and cry now! I turn 27 on June 22nd. There's no way in heck I'm going to get this vaccine. At $405 (and I've heard that might possibly be PER shot) and having to have 3 shots done over 6 months, it'll be smarter, cost less, and take less time, just to wait until after my birthday. It makes me sad and angry though. I'm going to have to postpone things MONTHS just because of this silly vaccine, when it's not been proven to effectively reduce cervical cancer. It has been shown to have killed some girls and severly disable others. Why would anyone do this? It's ridiculous if you ask me.

Okay, so I'm going to bite my tongue right now before I go off into a rant. Sorry bout that!

Thanks for the review David! Oh, and the picture! I appreciate it. It will make it easier to find when I've got to go!

No problem

oh yeah, btw... Dr. Chan is going on vacation for a month starting Feb 10, 2008. that sucks for people that need med exams in feb

*hugs*

According to Dr. Laity, it is $180 or so per shot, from what I remember, and he mentioned at least 2 times. He was dismayed at having to spring this on the unlucky souls who come in with their daughter(s!) not expecting to be spending that money.

I'd definitely find out if you can get it waived if you'll be entering the US after you turn 27, because you'll be out of age range?

I hope so!!!

Glad your medical went so well! Love that you took a picture of the house it was in, lol.

http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/STDFact-HPV-vaccine.htm#hpvvac3 <------info on Gardasil from the CDC.

I'm surprised that they are REQUIRING this for immigration. Also, I thought that the imms weren't required at the interview for k-1 stage, but later when you're interviewing for AOS?? Just that some ppl figured they'd get it out of the way and also maybe cheaper if done by their own doc at home before coming to the US. Hopefully those of you who wish to bypass this vaccine and are turning 27 soon can get out of it.

Good link.

So it isn't suggested you get tested first, interesting. The only thing I find weird about this is that American's aren't required to have it, so it seems strange that they require it for immigrants.

I agree.
There is nothing about this vaccine being added to the list ANYWHERE.
It's really stressing me out a lot

Don't stress, you will be fine since your birthday is in May, you can just stall until then (it is a shame that you have to though!)

Yeah..you are right sweetheart.
It may actually be perfect timing. I'm not expecting my NOA2 until April anyhow...it won't be delayed that much!!!
Thanks honey

Well my birthday isn't until the end of June, and I'm hoping to have my NOA2 by March at the latest, so I'm stressing A LOT! This will add a lot of unneccessary time onto our journey. ~sighs~

Well, as said before, you don't NEED the vaccination until you go to the US and get married then begin the AOS process. so, by the time you get your NOA2 and your interview, it may be close enough to your birthday that by the time you are married you won't need the vaccination anymore.

I've since heard that if you're Canadian all vaccines are required regardless of the visa type. I'm going to have to try to look into that a little bit more because it's directly contradictory to what USCIS itself says. Who knows? I'll look into phoning the Doctor as well as trying to email the consulate. My fingers are crossed and I'm hoping for the best!

I picked up my medical exam results today. Michelle (the receptionist who everyone says is really mean and is like the devil's spawn) was REALLY nice and accommodating.. I asked her for a copy of the Vaccination Worksheet and got a copy of it right away. no hassle or anything... Actually she kind of expected me to ask for it. For those that dont know, the worksheet is used for when you're filing for your AOS after you get married. If you dont get a copy of the worksheet, i've heard people going through a lot of trouble to get a copy.

btw, for those who have no idea what im talking about, it should look like this:

http://www.ait.org.tw/en/visa/iv/docs/DS3025.pdf

CDC. By law the USCIS must follow the guidelines set out by those folks. On the CDC website there's an interactive quiz (http://www2.cdc.gov/nip/adultImmSched/) that will tell you what need. Fastest and easiest way to go, the source itself. If you're in the US call 1-800-CDC-INFO. Lots of info on the website including a checklist to take to your family physician in case you need any vaccines.