Online doctor Canada-wide, with a name and a licence number attached. Your assessment is done by a licensed physician or nurse practitioner whose licence you can check yourself. Each one is listed below with the college that licenses them and the provinces where they may practise.
Who prescribes: physicians and nurse practitioners
Two kinds of clinicians may assess you and, where appropriate, prescribe:
- Physicians, licensed by the college of physicians and surgeons of each province where they practise.
- Nurse practitioners, registered nurses with advanced training who may diagnose and prescribe within the scope their province sets. They are licensed by the provincial nursing regulator. Seeing a nurse practitioner online Canada-wide means the same licence and the same standards as seeing one in a clinic.
Pharmacists are separate. Our pharmacists do not prescribe the medications on this site; they check every prescription before it is filled.
How licensing works, province by province
Health care in Canada is licensed provincially. A clinician must hold a licence in the province or territory where you are when the assessment takes place, not where the clinician lives or where the company is based. That is why the consultation asks for your province first, and why each clinician above lists the provinces where they are licensed. We only match you with a clinician who may lawfully assess you where you are.
Online doctor Canada: what a virtual visit covers
- Your history. A secure questionnaire on your health, current medications, allergies and what you are hoping for.
- A conversation. A phone or video call whenever your answers, or your province’s rules, call for one.
- A decision. Your clinician decides independently whether a prescription is appropriate, and explains why if it is not.
- Next steps. Lab tests or an in-person exam at a clinic near you when needed, and, with your consent, a summary to your family doctor or nurse practitioner.
- Follow-up. Any change to a prescription goes back through your clinician.
A virtual visit is not for emergencies. If you have chest pain, trouble breathing or another urgent symptom, call 911.
How quickly you hear back
Most people hear from a clinician within one to two business days of completing the questionnaire. If a call is needed, your clinician arranges a time with you.
How to check a clinician’s licence
- Note the clinician’s name, college and licence number from the list above.
- Open that college’s public register. Every provincial college of physicians and surgeons and every nursing regulator offers a free online search.
- Confirm that the licence is active, that the name matches, and whether any conditions or restrictions are listed.
- If something does not match, do not go ahead, and tell us through our complaints page.
How our clinicians work
- They assess you only in a province where they hold a licence.
- They decide independently whether a prescription is appropriate. No fee is paid per prescription, in either direction.
- When an in-person exam or tests are needed, they arrange it with a local clinic or your family doctor.
Ready to start? Begin your online consultation, or ask a pharmacist a question first.