How far in advance do you have to call to see your doctor?

[meggers]

I just called to make an appointment for my annual exam. I'm seeing the NP which is fine cause I think she's great. If I wanted to see my doctor though, I would have had to wait until May. I know she saves appointment times for her preg. patients but it surprised me that she's booked over two months in advance.

Is your doctor like this too?

[jnshanna]

I've only seen my doctor a handful of times in 10 years. I usually see the NP instead. The doctor is usually booked at least a month ahead of time. I really like the NP though so I'm fine with seeing her. So yes, my doctor office is also like this.

[DelSol]

My doctor is usually booked pretty far in advance. I try to put a reminder on my calendar a month and half in advance and even then I'm not going to get a time that works for me. Evening appointments are never available.

[andy's di]

mine is the same too - since I'm only available for evening appointments it makes it that much more difficult. Although I did get an evening apt 3 weeks out!

But when it comes to the 'yearly inspection' the dates I have to go are limited - this is when I usually need to book at least three months in advance to get an evening appointment on the appropriate day :rolleyes:

[diam124]

I think it depends on the office. At my old ob/gyn, they did not appear to have NP's for regular appointments. I would usually call at least 2 months in advance for my annual appt. For other appointments they usually were able to fit me in within a week or two.

I see an NP at my current place, so it's about 3-4 week wait time for annual appts. For other appts they can usually get you in within a week or so.

For other kinds of doctors, I've found dermatologists to be the most difficult in terms of getting in quickly. Pretty much everywhere I've lived (big city, small town, suburb) there is a wait of at least 2-3 months. Once I had something I wanted checked out and by the time my appointment rolled around it had disappeared! The dr. told me if it reappeared to call and say she gave permission for me to be seen ASAP.

[endymion411]

at my gyn's office, for a yearly exam, they recommend that you book your appt for next year at that appt (so, a year in advance!). if not, you may be able to get an appt a few months from when you call--the first time i saw her, i called in may and got an appt for october when someone else cancelled.

[tlew12778]

In the US my drs were like this. Here in Italy I get in within a week and my gyn is the Chief at the womens' hospital of Milan. She only practices Gyn except when she is on-call at the hospital. As a result she never has to bump appts due to births. It also helps, though, that we have national healthcare here. Most people do not go to their OBs for scans and whatnot. They go to the hospital, get a scan, and bring the results to their OB who interprets them.

[Neen]

When I got to my OB/GYN I have to call at least a month or 2 in advance to get in. This last time I called, I got in quickly, within a week!

When I go to my GP I can call in the morning and have an appointment the same day or the next day (open access). It's nice!

[amorey]

I don't see a OB/GYN, just a family practice doc for everything. I called on Friday for an appointment to discuss a medication. I could have gotten in on Monday, but chose a Thursday appointment because it was more convenient. If I need an annual exam, I probably have to schedule a couple weeks out for the longer appointment. If I'm sick and I call in the morning I can see someone (not always my doctor) that day.

[PookiePrincess]

With my gyn I usually have to make my appointment a month in advance. For my yearly it's not that difficult to schedule because I always do it while I'm off for Spring Break, so that's not a big deal.

[tenofcups]

I can usually make an appointment in a couple of weeks, but I can also call that day if it's something that's just come up and is important. For specialists in this area, it seems that I can usually get in within a few weeks, with a couple of exceptions -- I needed to see a neurologist and that took a few months. Unless it's a doctor I really really really want to see, I'll look elsewhere if it will take more than a month.

[bookworm]

For an annual exam, I have to book 4-5 months ahead. For sick visits (it's been a few years since I've had one, knock wood), I believe it's same day/next day.

[maplekitty]

My doc only does paps during certain months. So you do have to book your pap well in advance. For regular visits I can usually get in within the week, if not that same day.

[udsweetpea]

If I want to see my gyn doctor, there's usually a 7-8 month wait. I see the NP, and she usually has a 4 month wait. But now that they have their computers set up to make an appointment a year in advance, I do that for next year when I leave my appointment.

For my regular physician, I can usually call a day ahead of time.

[ginad724]

I thought my wait was bad, but not compared to some of you. I just made my appointment for an annual exam and am getting in mid-April, so 2 months. I usually put a reminder to call 2 months in advance.

For my primary physician, I can get in within the week depending on how urgent the visit is.