Nanaimo Walk-In & Family Practice Clinic at Walmart by Jack Nathan Health

Dr Colberne is very good, friendly and helpful. But the receptionist is incredibly rude and disrespectful. Please switch receptionists to someone who has better customer service and shows some respect and sympathy for the people who come in the clinic. She’s not doing us a favor, it’s her job and she gets paid to do it so if she doesn’t enjoy it, she shouldn’t be there.

Dr. Colborne is an amazing addition to this clinic. He's friendly, thorough and listens to everything you have to say. Excellent doctor! I WISH he was my family doctor. The receptionists definitely have their hands full with the overwhelming amount of patients that have been redirected to this clinic--on top of walk-ins and I admire them for keeping their composure in such a busy environment!

*I'm posting under my boyfriend email* So I call my doctors office because they didn't document when I went in (even though I said from the get go that it was to go under my claim for worksafe). The receptionist was so unhelpful and at times I'd have to ask if she was still there because she wasn't speaking at all. She then tells me she would call me back in a few minutes. I said okay. She didn't call me back so an hour later I call back. She again was not helpful and I had to keep asking if she was there. She then puts me on hold for 10 minutes and when she got back, didn't have anything helpful to say. Then she hangs up on me. So I immediately call back. I said to her "you just hung up on me..." She goes on to say the Doctor's busy and can't help. I ask if she could interrupt him for a moment as she did when I was there. She asks me why I can't come down. I told her I have to work. She then hangs up on me again. I call back, pissed off now because of how unhelpful she's been and for hanging up on me. I call back and ask to speak to the doctor. She refuses to let me. I proceed to keep asking to speak to him. She refuses. She says "it will be sent" I ask what would be sent and she replied "I don't know, I'm not a doctor." I then ask if she had my claim number (because they need it) she then says you can come to the clinic. I tell her again I have to go to work. I ask if she had a pen and paper handy to write my claim number. She then says "I'm hanging up" I then just lose it. So I drive there immediately, when I get there they closed... So why the women would tell me to come down baffles me if she knew they were closing! I won't be returning unless there's a new receptionist! Completely rude and useless.

Made an appointment three weeks in advance, was there early. 20 minutes after my appointment date was still waiting, my mom had to work and she drove me since I live a bit out of town and my 4 mnth old was getting cranky. They let in multiple walk-ins before us and when I went to the front counter I discovered that the receptionist had continually placed our appointment paper under everyone elses, not only at the beginning but every person after had been added on top of us. Finally got in (after complaining) and the scale to weigh my daughter was broken- she almost fell- and it wouldn't stop on a weight so she just picked a weight and wrote it down. She measured improperly and rushed me to exit the room before I had dressed me daughter (I did dress her first though) then I waited another half hour for the doctor to show while my daughter got progressively grumpier and grumpier. I spent a grand total of 1.5 hours there and I made an appointment THREE WEEKS in advance. I liked Dr. Colburn but it's not worth it. Horrible service and attitude. Horrible. REPLY: Yes there were people in the waiting room but those people were WALK-INS they had not made appointments, same with the people wondering the store. All had come in after me and as walk-in patients. The people with appointments ahead of mine had been in and gone long before I complained. I understand that some waiting is expected as some people have more things to discuss, but that wasn't my problem- my problem was that walk-ins who came in after us were put ahead of us- multiple let in before us who had showed up after us, without appointments. I am a patient person but that was ridiculous.

Pleasant front desk staff, opened the door promptly (even a bit early) so that no one had to sit out in the hallway by the drafty automatic doors. I was seen first by a medical student who was very pleasant and thorough and then by the physician. Good experience. I arrived early and was prepared for a long wait but that did not happen. The waiting area was filling rapidly though as i left. Excellent service at the Walmart pharmacy as well.

Friendly reception staff. Basically no waiting, as I didn’t even have time to sit down after filling the simple intake form! I know I was lucky because later that day there was a sign up that said “Sorry, Clinic Full”. That’s the way it goes with walk-Ins and I would not have complained if there was a long wait — I was traveling and just needed to be seen that day. The doctor was nice and professional.

Every time I've been here or dealt with the administrative staff it has been nothing short of a disappointment. The staff are rude, defensive, short, condescending, and completely unprofessional. The doctors however are good. Too bad they have to work here. I am not fabricating this review, it is intended for them to get better and for people to boycott until they do. I came in to see a doctor last November to get a referral for a specialist for my torn ACL. He wrote it, and the clinic lost it and didn't send it to the physician. If I didn't follow up no one would have ever known. I had to come in again to get a new referral. Very inconvenient and no one took ownership. Came in for my presurgical check up on August 9, met with the nurse and doctor. AGAIN, they did not fax the proper information over. I even gave it to the receptionist at the time and explained her how things got lost the first time and she said it wouldn't be a problem, but it was. I had to spend a lot of time on the phone with Susan navigating this while I was away, but it doesn't even appear she could rectify this. I expressed my frustrations and she got defensive saying things like, "oh do you know how frustrated I am? Do you know how much extra work it is for me?" Complete disregard for my issues. So they didn't have a copy of the work that they filled out on the computer. How is that even possible? I came back in to give them my paperwork when I returned. Clinic says it's open until 5, got there and it said "walk in full, closed" but there was no one inside. Eventually Susan and the clinic owner came out, took my sheets, faxed them and they said that should be it but... it turns out it had SOMEONE ELSE'S NAME and PERSONAL INFORMATION on it! I couldn't believe it. Can you believe they are handing out other people's information without recognition? So because of this in AGAIN to see the doctor and do it all over again. While I was waiting, another woman came in and expressed similar concerns about how they don't answer their phones, how they're rude and patients need their help. Again, both staff got defensive and didn't care. Played victim and didn't validate this woman's feelings. After she left they said, "oh, some people get so angry for no reason and just want to argue." Take ownership and fix it. The service is shameful and the mistakes are unprofessional. Just an update after I wrote this, I got a call from Susan again telling me the fax for my documentation didn't go through AGAIN and they STILL didn't have a copy!?!? She said it was now on me to fax the document... What else is there to say?

Every time I’ve gone here in the past year, the receptionist had been amazing. She’s very friendly and understanding. At 9:05 when I left this morning, there was a sign up that the clinic was now full. The waiting room was overflowing and people were gathered around the front desk, but she remained calm and kind. Long wait times have nothing to do with each individual clinic and everything to do with a local shortage of doctors. This clinic is my favourite as the Doctor is thorough and listens completely to your concerns. I’ve read through some of the opposing reviews on here and it’s my opinion that long waits aren’t the fault of the clinic. More doctors are needed and we should be thankful we can receive care on a walk in basis, even if we have to wait. A big thank you to this clinic for your hard work.