“I called my family doctor’s office to get an appointment to be seen about some recent dizzy spells and I was told it will be five weeks. I had to go to the Emergency Department and waited 14 hours. It was an ear infection.” 

Is this okay? NO. 

For many years, people in Nova Scotia have had trouble getting a family doctor or nurse practitioner. In October 2024, there were 145,114 people waiting. By July 2025, that number went down to 89,455 people. It is getting better, but it’s still not great.

This article is not about waiting to get a primary care provider. It’s about how long you should wait to see your nurse practitioner or doctor once you already have one. 

There is a good report published in 2009 – The Wait Starts Here – which was a collaboration of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Canadian Medical Association. While almost 16 years ago, it has some useful information that is applicable today. 

Before getting into wait times to see the Nurse Practitioner or Family Doctor, there are a few wait times that are part of the healthcare experience. 

Different Types of Waiting 

When you need healthcare, there are different kinds of waiting: 

1. Waiting to see your family doctor or nurse practitioner – This is what this post is about
2. Waiting for tests – Like blood tests, X-rays, or MRIs 
3. Waiting to see a specialist – Like a heart doctor or skin doctor 
4. Waiting for special procedures – Like surgery 

Right now in Canada, waiting for tests and specialists is a big problem. 

How Long Should You Wait? 

For Urgent Problems 

If you have an urgent problem that doesn’t need the Emergency Department, you should be able to see someone the same day or next day. At Mentor Clinic, we have a “Duty Clinician” system. This means one doctor or nurse practitioner sees urgent cases every day. Any patient can call after 8 am and get an appointment that same day. 

For Non-Urgent Problems 

For problems that aren’t urgent (like a skin bump or a sore joint), primary care providers use something called the “third next available appointment” or TNAA. This is a way to measure how long people wait. 

Ideally all primary care clinics across Nova Scotia should track and publicly report their TNAA.  We have not found any reports on this metric for Nova Scotia.

Some Basic Information About Posted Wait Times 

Nova Scotia Health has a Healthcare Wait Times webpage. You can enter the diagnostic test or specialist you are waiting to see, and learn about the wait times around the province. The times are reported 50^th and 90^th percentiles. It defaults to the lower, one might say ‘better’ looking number, the 50^th, but is that meaningful? The 50^th percentile is the median value in days, a point where half the people were seen, and the other half waited longer. It is a coin toss – 50/50 chance of being seen in that time. The 90^th percentile is the value in days when 9 out of 10 people are seen. If your life is on hold until after that test, appointment, or procedure, you can more confidently plan after the 90^th percentile wait than the ‘coin toss’ 50^th percentile.

Example: A person is waiting for a bone density test to find out if they have osteoporosis and have an increased risk of bone fractures. They want to go hiking with their granddaughter if it’s ok. They’re scheduled at the QEII with a 50^th percentile wait time (PWT) of 399 days and 90^th PWT of 489 days. That is a three-month difference! Oddly, if you look at that specific test, you will see that Truro has a 50^th PWT of 11 days and 90^th PWT of 26 days!! The wait in Lunenburg is 675 and 849 days!!! This indicates some system problems. It is also worth requesting a facility change and driving to another testing site if you perceive waiting as a problem.

What Can You Do? 

The government of Nova Scotia plans and runs the healthcare system. You can help make it better: 

1. Ask your primary care provider about their wait times (TNAA.) 
2. Call your MLA (the elected official who represents you in your municipality) and ask for information about healthcare wait times. 
3. Share your opinions with your MLA and local government. Talking to friends about problems might make you feel better, but it doesn’t fix the system. You need to talk to the people who can make changes. 

The Goal: A Better System 

The best system would provide every Nova Scotian a clinic in their neighborhood automatically – just like how every child gets a school and teacher. No child waits on an “I need a teacher” list for years. This kind of system is called a “Health Home” model. Ontario is working on this, and Nova Scotia is too. 

Remember 

Knowledge is power. Understanding how the system works helps you get better care and helps make the system better for everyone.