SCDP

Hi all,

I thought I'd write a review of my experience doing the medical examination at Horizon (formerly Medisys) in Montreal. 

Location

The clinic was very easy to find. It's in a big office building next to McGill metro station on De Maisonneuve and Robert-Bourrassa. Horizon is on the 22nd floor. (Bonus: there's a newly opened branch of Café Olimpico just down Robert-Bourrassa if you need a quick coffee and croissant!)

Premises

I'm not sure if there was a redesign with the recent rebrand, but the clinic was very clean and brightly lit. My appointment was 12.30pm on a Thursday; there were less people than I expected, maybe 25 in total in the waiting room. There were still plenty of seats left. Close to the window, there's a small kids' play area with a table, chairs, and some toys. 

Check-in

I gave the receptionist 5 passport pictures (Canadian-sized, no need for the photographer's address on the back), my vaccination records, my passport, a copy of the P4 letter from the US Consulate (printed this off from my email), and a copy of my visa interview date confirmation (ditto). I was given a detailed medical history form to fill out, which I gave back to the receptionist upon completing. 

Examinations

1. Not long after this, I was called for X-rays along with two other people. We were shown to some changing cabins and told to put on gowns (removed clothes from waist up only). We did the chest X-rays one person at a time; this process was very quick and efficient. The technician took a front X-ray, then side; the whole thing took not even 5 minutes. Once we were done, she gave me a yellow slip to drop into a folder bin on my way out; this was to prove that I completed the X-ray portion. I got dressed and went back to the waiting room.
2. After 15-20 mins, I was called for a one-on-one physical with a doctor. We went through another medical history checklist (this time more in detail), then he asked me to change into a full-body gown (keeping bra, underwear, and socks). He shone a light into my eyes and ears, checked my reflexes, checked my thyroid, palpated my abdomen, etc. – nothing too invasive. The doctor was very chatty and friendly, to the point where I thought, "Hey buddy, don't you have other patients to get to?" He told me I was in excellent health and sent me on my way. 
3. The next step took a while to get to; I must've waited at least 30 minutes. A nurse called me into a room and took a blood sample, tested my vision with and without glasses, weighed and measured me, and gave me a urine cup. I made sure to get any missing vaccinations at the local CLSC before visiting Horizon, but if you need any additional immunizations they'll happen at this stage. The nurse returned my vaccination records and gave me instructions for the urine test.
4. I headed to the bathroom for the urine test (the women's facilities are out the door, past the elevators, and to the left). Once that was done, I dropped off the cup at a designated window (it's just to your left as you enter Horizon). 
5. After some more waiting, the receptionist called me to the counter and double-checked the paperwork to see that all the required tests were done. Then, she had me pay; the total came up to just over CAD 475 with tax – ouch. (There was an option to get the results couriered to me for CAD 50, but that was too rich for my blood!) She gave me the receipt (required for pickup of results) and told me I'd get an email when the results were ready. That was it! In total, I spent about 1h40 at Horizon.

Three business days later, the results were ready to be picked up. Note that Horizon opens at 7am every day for those who are thinking of getting their envelope right before the visa interview; however, that's cutting it a bit close for me since my appointment is at 7.30am.

Overall, the whole process was very smooth (if expensive). Hope this review helps!

On 1/30/2020 at 7:19 AM, debbiedoo said:

shouldnt be a problem. we had a scan of something that looked like it was a basic excel sheet for my husbands vaccinations and it wasnt a problem or questioned. he had to update a couple of vaccines but that wasnt a big deal

Wonderful, thank you!

5 hours ago, Limey said:

They don't seem too fussy about how you provide it.

I went to see my doctor in the UK and they printed off things from their records - just scans of paper docs from when I was a kid (so some were from 40 years earlier). I also had a little booklet with some from a travel clinic when I'd have vaccinations to travel to South America, India etc. Anything you have just take it along and I'm sure they'll accept it.

Great, that's reassuring. Thanks for weighing in!

Oops! Thanks for the tip or for taking the time to answer. 

Hi all,

I've been lurking for a couple of weeks and have found all your advice extremely helpful and reassuring. I'm currently awaiting Packet 4 from the US Consulate in Montreal and am looking ahead to the medical examination requirements in the meantime. 

One answer I couldn't find is whether original vaccination records are needed to demonstrate proof of required immunizations at Medsys. The reason I ask is because I'm a Canadian who grew up in Quebec and used to have the little purple "Carnet de vaccinations" immunization booklet as a kid, but it appears I lost it in a previous move. However, I had the foresight to scan the entire booklet in PDF form a couple of years ago and could print that out as proof for Medsys – my question is, will that be sufficient or will they insist on seeing the original booklet? 

Also, I've seen on the Montreal forums that some people brought a titre test to prove varicella immunity while others simply made a verbal declaration of having had chickenpox in the past. Can someone who's been there more recently confirm whether the latter was indeed sufficient? 

Thank you for your time! I'm hoping to come back and write a review of Medsys and the visa interview once I complete those stages.