Short answer: no, not in British Columbia

You can book a physiotherapy appointment in Vancouver yourself. Physiotherapists in British Columbia are primary care practitioners, which means you are allowed to come straight to us without seeing a doctor first. Nobody needs to give you permission to start.

That surprises a lot of people, usually because they have lived somewhere the rules are different, or because a family member needed a referral for something else and assumed it applied here too.

So if you are sitting on a sore shoulder waiting for a doctor's appointment before you can do anything about it, you do not have to wait.

Where a referral can still matter

The rule above is about seeing us. Getting some of it paid for is a separate question, and that is where a referral occasionally comes back into the picture.

Your extended health plan. Some workplace plans ask for a doctor's note before they will reimburse physiotherapy, and some do not. It is set by your plan, not by us and not by the province. It takes one phone call to the number on your benefits card to find out, and it is worth making that call before your first visit rather than after. If your plan does need paperwork, we can contact your doctor to provide documentation supporting your care.

ICBC and WorkSafeBC claims. Forza does not bill ICBC or WorkSafeBC directly at this time. You can still book and be seen as a private patient, and nobody needs a referral for that either.

What to bring to a first appointment

Nothing complicated. Your benefits information if you have it, and clothing you can move in. If you have had scans or surgery for the problem, bring what you have. If you have not, that is fine too. We will assess you either way.

What actually happens in the first visit

We take a history, then we test. At Forza that means measuring strength and movement rather than guessing at them, including force plate testing, so you can see the numbers your plan is built on rather than being told you are "getting there".

You leave with a plan you understand, and a sense of what recovery looks like from here.

Book your assessment with a registered physiotherapist, or call the clinic on 604-359-2919. No doctor's referral needed.

Still not sure?

Call the clinic on 604-359-2919 or email contact@forzaphysiotherapy.com. If physiotherapy is not the right answer for what you are dealing with, we will tell you and point you where to go.