Brisbane Medical Review

[Sassyandswoop 2]

Warning, this is probably going to be long and parts of it will only be useful to those also going to the Anzac Square Medical Centre. I apologise if this kinda sounds like "You must do this and you must do that" but I'm writing this as something I wish I could send back in time to myself so I knew exactly where to go and stuffs.

Making the appointment

Called 3229 1344. Spoke to a young lady, she was very helpful and was able to answer all my questions without having to look anything up. I said that I needed a medical done for my USA visa and asked what I needed before I could make the appointment. She answered I either needed my interview letter or the NVC case number.

The medical examination is $441.00 without any immunisations. Medical $266, X-ray $100, Blood Test $75. A deposit of $100 is required before they confirm your appointment. They will ask for your email address over the phone then will email you an appointment letter and patient details form. You simply print off 1 copy of the 2 page attachment, fill out the second page with your details (name, address, contact number, occupation and email address) and your Visa/Mastercard credit card details (if paying cash then you need to go in personally, they don't accept cheques) then you can scan and email the page back to them, fax it back or email it.

Once they receive the page and your deposit goes through, you will receive a confirmation email. Please note, that the deposit you pay is 100% non-refundable. If you miss the appointment, you don't get it back and you'll have to pay another $100 when you make the next appointment. If you attend the appointment, the $100 is taken off the total owed.

On the day preparation

Must have:

• Current Valid Passport (Don't need to bring any expired ones to the medical)
  
• 3 recent standard passport photos (cut individually with the backs signed and dated)
  
• All Vaccination Records
  
• NVC Case Number (Bring a copy of your NVC cover sheet from your IV Bill)
  

This reviewer recommends:

• Wearing loose pants (you'll need to be able to sure easy movement in your legs, extremely tight jeans aren't a good thing)
  
• Wearing slip on shoes (easy to kick off and put back on)
  
• Wearing a shirt that you put on over your head with no buttons or clips (easy to remove and put back on)
  
• For those with long hair, have it tied up and keep it all above your shoulders (for the chest x-ray)
  
• Wear no necklace or earrings (pain in the neck to take them off and put them back on for the x-ray)
  
• For the ladies, wear a bra. A solid one, not an old see-through one. (doctor will be looking around your chest)
  

Getting there (via train and walking)

The closest train station is Central. It is about a 60 second walk from there. When you leave the train, you go up an escalator, follow the mass of people to the exit and flash your ticket on the way out. Before you leave the building, there will be a stair case next to an escalator on your left, on the roof is a sign saying take the staircase to Ann Street. Don't take the escalator, you must manually walk down the stairs.

Once at the bottom, turn left (no need to cross the street). Walk for about 30 seconds, you'll pass a hotel/bar/pub thing sprawling across on your left, try not get distracted by the lure of alcohol to calm your nerves. You'll see several signs all over the walls showing the name, if you squint at the tiny writing down the bottom, you'll see their address is 270 Ann Street, so you know your really close. Just past that, you'll see a staircase that goes down under the street, right next to it is a black ... tarp ... thingy ... protecting an entrance from the rain, I dunno how else to describe it. Soon as my google maps loads I'll attach a link so you can see what I'm talking about. Anyway, that's the entrance, you'll see "280" in nice big numbers next to a double door as well as a few plaques listing the different doctors. YAY!!! Got Google Maps to load correctly. I added it as an attachment to this thread, hope you can access it okay, it's jpeg so it's a tiny little file. So, you go in the door (push or pull, doesn't matter) and straight ahead of you (slightly to the left) is another door, that's the entrance to their reception of the doctors torture chamber.

Checking in (beware the dragons at reception!

When you get to the reception, pull out your passport, NVC case number (I had a form the NVC emailed me with my case number on it) and your 3 passport photos (make sure the photos are cut up individually and the backs are signed and dated or the dragons at reception will not be happy, trust me on that). The staff aren't all that friendly, or maybe it was just because my appointment was the last one before lunch and they wanted to go get something to eat? Either way, don't try to joke with them or they'll spit flame balls all over your paperwork.

Either way, they'll check everything's there, write down your case number and some other details from your passport, then they'll give you back everything except the passport pictures and then they'll hand you a cup in a brown paper bag. Yes, we do have to pee in a cup. They'll direct you to the toilets of the hotel above them. You take 3 escalators up then it's to the left of the reception desk. First escalator is to your right when you exit the doctors office door (not the door to the street), next one is to the right when you get to the top, next one is off to the right but travels the same direction as the second one. It's a damn nice looking hotel!! Straight ahead of you is the reception desk, so if you walk past the bar and sitting area and look to the left of the reception, you'll see a hallway with a sign for restrooms. They are damn nice looking toilets!! Personally, I went to the handicap toilet block, simply cause you can put your bag and papers on the sink and you have more room to move so you feel more comfortable. PS. Before peeing in the cup, fill out the details on the label. Then pee in the cup (guys are so lucky, they are used to aiming). When you're all done, make sure the lid is on very tight, if you hear a loud click, that's too tight and it's jumped up a twist in the lid, try it again without the extra force. Put the cup back in the brown bag and if you have a bag with an external pocket of some sort, I'd recommend putting it in there.

Then you go back down the escalators, hand in your pee cup and sit down. I only had time to write down half of this review before I got called in, so you don't need to wait too long.

The Doctor will see you now

I had Doctor Kable, he was really nice. Made small talk while I got out all the immunisation records about what my husband does, what I'd do over there, if I'd been there before, I think he was just curious. Then he asked my questions about my medical history, typical stuff, any history of heart burn, strokes, seizures, stuff like that. Then he asked me to go behind the curtain, strip to my undergarments (bra and panties), take off my shoes and lie on the bed with the sheet covering me. Then when I was ready, he came in with his stethoscope and had me breath while he listened to my heart from different places around my chest. He felt the joints of my arms, had me move my legs up straight, bend the knee then back into place (one at a time), pulled the sheet down and felt my stomach, checked my ears, and my eyes (don't look directly at the light when he's checking your eyes, absolutely force yourself to stare at the ceiling), lightly tapped my feet and joints with a stick while I laughed, had me sit up so he could feel my neck and spine. Then I have to wrap the sheet around me and jump on the scales (I've lost weight since the wedding, that's not good ) and took my height measurement (I grew 1 cm from when my licence was issued 6 years ago! ) Then I got dressed.

We did an eye test thingy, and asked to read the second bottom line. I had to get a booster on my tetnus, defilia and polia shot but I did everything else. He told me to always keep a copy of the immunisation sheet they'll send to me when I go to USA cause they like to have details like this for some jobs and college. Then it was all done for that part. He said to talk to the ladies out front and they'd give me directions to the x-ray and blood test place.

All up the entire thing took about 40 minutes from when I first walked in to pick up my pee cup to when I walked out with a thin sheet of directions. My booster cost $45 on top of the rest of the medical of $441. Hello credit card debt.

I have to go make dinner, I'll update the rest of the review after I throw the stuff in the oven. I'm cheating for dinner tonight, hello homemade pizza, garlic bread and cheesecake!

[Sassyandswoop 2]

Blood Test and Chest X-Ray

They give you a small print out of directions on how to get to the blood test and x-ray place. For those that can't follow diections like me, when it says "Follow this pathway all the way until you come to the next road - Queen Street" they mean all the way to the end of the pathway, not all the way until the next street. Cause the next street is Adelaide, you have to walk over Adelaide Street, all the way past the park, across the zebra stripes, turn left and you'll see the view on the attachment.

You'll see the medical centre straight ahead, through automatic double glass doors, straight past the desk on your left. You need to go to the blood test first, which is the first door on the left (it doesn't really have a desk, you just stand in the chaired area before you pass the half-wall and look for someone in the doors to your left), they'll take 1 page and some blood then sign the second page then give it back to you. You take that page to the second page and show it and your passport to the person at the desk on the other side of the half-wall, they'll tell you to sit down. I only waited barely a minute before I was called in, they show you to a tiny little curtained cubicle and tell you to strip from the waist up, bra, shirt, jewelry and hair then put on an unflattering robe thingy. You stand before the machine, press your shoulders into it, take a deep breath (making sure you don't move your shoulders when you take a deep breath), then you wait in your robe while they make sure that the x-ray turned out okay, takes about 2 minutes. If it went well, then you can get changed again for the last time. They'll give you some speel about sending the bill and results to your doctor on Ann Street and then your free to leave.

Wow, that one didn't take nearly as long as the first part of the review. Must be the cheesecake. It's special stop-being-a-windbag cheesecake.

Going to see Iron Man 2 tonight, can't wait. Going to be packed!!

Hope I did okay on my first review, I wasn't even sure exactly where I was supposed to put it... sorry!

[Sassyandswoop 2]

How do I edit stuff I've already written, I can't see a big "EDIT" button.

I need to add a point for the female immigrants that they need to bring their most recent papsmear results, and if they are due shortly for one, they should get it and have the results ready for their medical.

[Deb+Steve 13]

Thanks for that. Did not think about the pap smear ... *sigh* ... best be off to have that done! Mine's with Dr Kable as well.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Hope I did okay on my first review, I wasn't even sure exactly where I was supposed to put it... sorry!

You did very well Thanks for the info If you don't mind I'm going to post a link to this thread in the Aussie K1 thread here: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/206016-australian-beneficiaries-packet-3-to-interview-date/

As for the edit button, you only have 5 minutes from posting something to edit it.

Also, you had your "tetnus, defilia and polia shot" but I think you meant tetanus, diphtheria and polio.. (td-Polio)

I was given "Boostrix" which is tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough).. which is dtap apparently (here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DPT_vaccine#DTaP).. I though it was tDap...

[alex and astrid 38]

I had my medical at Anzac Square, but with Dr. Yates. was pretty much the same, except Yates took my blood (And BRUISED me like you would not believe), the receptionists were very nice the day I was there, and Yates only asked when my last Pap was and if it was normal. I also paid more for my medical ($481), but, I did not pay for any shots that day, since I was up to date. Guess they dropped their prices!!

Just a tip, Sullivan Nicolaides may try and send you a bill for your bloodwork and xray, but you don't need to pay it. You paid for all that through Anzac Square. You might want to ring the pathology people to tell them that if you do get the bill for it.

[kaffy 2]

I had my medical there too and it was SO awkward having to go upstairs to the sofitel restroom to pee in the cup.. then carry it all the way back downstairs

[bextavaz 4]

I had my medical there too and it was SO awkward having to go upstairs to the sofitel restroom to pee in the cup.. then carry it all the way back downstairs

its funny, they've been making people do that since at least 2004 :rofl:

[Giggles 1]

I don't think it's mandatory take your pap smear results. There's nothing on the medical form about it and I wasn't even asked about my last pap smear when I had my medical with Dr Yates.

[Sassyandswoop 2]

I don't think it's mandatory take your pap smear results. There's nothing on the medical form about it and I wasn't even asked about my last pap smear when I had my medical with Dr Yates.

It might not be mandatory, but I read another review somewhere and they were asked about her papsmear but that she was only due for one shortly and he said he needed the results before he would finish her medical. Better safe then sorry maybe? I also read a review that they didn't need to pee in a cup and I did, so maybe it's just how picky the doctors are feeling on the day?

[Sassyandswoop 2]

Also, you had your "tetnus, defilia and polia shot" but I think you meant tetanus, diphtheria and polio.. (td-Polio)

lol, I'm so horrible, I knew I spelt that wrong!!

This is what I need my husband for, he's a wonderful spell checker. Hurry up with my visa!

[Giggles 1]

It might not be mandatory, but I read another review somewhere and they were asked about her papsmear but that she was only due for one shortly and he said he needed the results before he would finish her medical. Better safe then sorry maybe? I also read a review that they didn't need to pee in a cup and I did, so maybe it's just how picky the doctors are feeling on the day?

It seems wrong not to finish that persons medical until she gives the doctor her pap smear results as this is not specifically listed on the medical form. If they want to see your pap smear results they should tell you this before you go to the appointment like they do with vaccination records. It can't hurt to take your results if you have them otherwise I wouldn't bother unless the doctor specifically requested it.

[Matt & Zoe 0]

Thank you so much for your review, it was incredibly in-depth and super helpful. It's nice to know the little details, and this will certainly be a lot of help for my medical... which will undoubtedly be sooner than my bank account would like.

[Deb+Steve 13]

So, I had my medical today and firstly:-

I HAD A BAG BIG ENOUGH FOR MY CUP ... thank you, ladies. Appreciate the tip.

The dragon lady at the reception tossed my serology results that cost me $177 and told me that it had to be done on the day of the medical. This is NOT correct. I rang and confirmed this with them before I did the testing. I didn't bother correcting her and instead told Dr Kable who replied with ... 'we won't need it' ... nice.

I didn't have to bend down in my undies or anything. He mostly chatted - he was lovely. Did my ears, eyes, joints, breast exam, height, weight. Took my little yellow immunisation record and told me I had everything so didn't need any vaccs.

Also, I was not even asked about my last pap smear. So, I think if you're going to book ... try and get Dr Kable. I was done with everything including the Xrays and blood test in about 90 minutes.

Parking at the Sofitel is only $7 - the medical centre will stamp your ticket and you'll get a discount at the concierge desk. It was extortion, though. What they did and what I had to pay for the offspring and myself was ridiculous. We get ripped in Brisbane!

[bextavaz 4]

Parking at the Sofitel is only $7 - the medical centre will stamp your ticket and you'll get a discount at the concierge desk. It was extortion, though. What they did and what I had to pay for the offspring and myself was ridiculous. We get ripped in Brisbane!

Hey Deb,

What do you mean extortion? Did they make you jump through hoops to get the "discount"?

I was actually considering giving the doc's a call before I leave in the morning to see if there was any sort of "parking" for the medical centre... might do it anyway just to see if they mention Sofitel...