Patients with troubling skin issues deserve a professional diagnosis and rapid access to a treatment plan. But wait times for dermatological care in Toronto can average a few months.
AvantDerm dedicates every weekday morning to our Rapid Access Clinic. If you have a referral and single skin issue you are welcome to walk in and see a board-certified specialist that same day. You will have to wait, but the upside is you don’t have to make an appointment for months from now. Please read this page in its entirety for important details, including frequently asked questions.
Schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider and discuss your skin issue. You need a referral from your GP before seeing a specialist.
Both options offer the same level of patient care but with different immediacy.
Would you like a diagnosis today? Can you wait up to a few hours before being seen? If yes, the Rapid Access Clinic is an excellent option because no appointment is necessary when you have a referral from your healthcare provider. The RAC is operated on a first-come first-served basis.
Can you wait for a diagnosis? Would you prefer to make an appointment for a specific date and time? If yes, a booked medical appointment is a good fit for you.
Plan for up to a few hours. It depends on how many patients show up each morning. Patients are seen in order of arrival. Registration starts at 7:30 AM and the clinic begins at 8 AM. Once registered, you may wait a few minutes or you may wait hours, but you will be seen by a specialist that day. Our front staff always do their best to estimate your wait time when you check in.
Please prepare for a wait by bringing a book, using our wifi, exploring the Distillery District, or going to a nearby coffee shop to catch up on work. You’re welcome to leave the clinic and come back 15 minutes before your estimated wait time.
We always recommend as early as possible. We aim to open doors and start registering patients at 7:30 AM, and start seeing patients at 8 AM. Our goal is to accept RAC patients up until 11 AM, but this is dependent on daily volume. There are days when we reach capacity before that time. In this case, we offer our next available booked appointment or encourage patients to visit the RAC another day. We do not offer a waitlist service.
If you prefer to schedule an appointment for a specific date, this is possible. Contact AvantDerm and ask for a medical dermatology consultation.
Each doctor will spend the time necessary to assess your situation and put a treatment plan into place. Some cases require a few minutes, others require much longer. It truly is case by case. Our team of doctors are professional, knowledgeable, and competent. We see a lot and we are efficient with diagnosis and treatment.
We treat all RAC patients equally and see everyone in order of arrival. If you notice a patient ‘jumping the queue’, it’s because they booked a medical or cosmetic appointment with a doctor, or scheduled an appointment with a nurse weeks before.
Yes. Absolutely. Our team of physicians see all ages and are skilled at diagnosing a full spectrum of skin conditions. However, the RAC may not be the best fit for extreme ages, as the wait can be up to a few hours. This may be a difficult reality for some, in which case we recommend a booked medical appointment.
AvantDerm and its Rapid Access Clinic are full-service. In our clinic we do biopsies, cultures (viral, bacterial, and fungal), cryotherapy (liquid nitrogen), curettage, excisions, electrocautery, phototherapy—these are just a few examples of methods our specialists use to treat a wide variety of diseases and conditions.
However, there are some issues that require care we are unable to provide. These include wound care, infected cysts, ulcers, abscesses, boils, anal warts, and incision and drainage.
AvantDerm is not an emergency room or a triage facility. If you have a serious condition that you feel requires immediate medical attention, please go to your nearest hospital emergency room.
The RAC was created because of a gap in current healthcare offerings. It provides Ontario residents with improved access to qualified specialists while simultaneously eliminating weeks worth of waiting. There are no other Toronto dermatology clinics offering this option for patients on a daily basis.
