How to Find a Family Doctor or Nurse Practitioner for Primary Care

Photo by Sarah Pflug

Here are six steps to find a family doctor or nurse practitioner for primary care in Ontario:

1. Ask your parents or spouse. If your parents or spouse have a family doctor, ask them to inquire with their family doctor if they will accept you as a patient.
   
   

2. Call your local Community Health Centre. Ask if they are accepting patients.
   
   

3. Call your local Family Health Team. Ask if they are accepting patients. 
   
   

4. Register with Health Care Connect to get a nurse coordinator to help you look for a primary care provider accepting .
   
   NOTE: If you are registered with a family doctor (including a doctor from your childhood), you need to first call ServiceOntario at 1-888-218-9929 and say you want to de-register with that doctor.
   
   

5. Check your college or university. If you are moving away for college or university, find out if your school has a wellness/medical centre and register as a patient. If your school does not have one, check out your school's health resources webpage to see if they have a list of local family doctors.
   
   

6. Call family doctors’ offices in your area. Google family doctors or check out the websites of community hospitals in your area for any lists of family doctors accepting patients.

Learn More

• Read Why a Primary Care Provider is an Important Part of my health Care Team

About the Authors

Sinthu Srikanthan (She/Her) is a social worker in the Red Blood Cell Disorders Clinic at UHN.

Colleen Johnson (She/Her) is a nurse practitioner with the Red Blood Cell Disorders at UHN.

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