Coming to a first virtual visit can feel like stepping into a house you have not visited before. This page walks through how Bloom appointments are set up, what you can do to prepare, and how medical care and wellness support differ. It is a general description of our services. Your own visit will depend on what you hope to discuss and on the professional judgment of the person you see.
Bloom offers virtual care for people who are located in Alberta at the time of the visit. We are a private clinic based in Calgary. We do not provide urgent or emergency care.
The visits Bloom offers
You can book one of three kinds of visit. Prices are listed in Canadian dollars, as they appear on our website:
- A medical visit with a Nurse Practitioner, 30 minutes, $195.
- A wellness visit with a Herbalist and Nutrition Specialist, 30 minutes, $135.
- One 60-minute integrated visit with the Nurse Practitioner and the Herbalist & Nutrition Specialist, bringing medical and holistic care together in a single appointment, $330.
Appointments are currently offered Monday to Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. If you would like to be contacted when a time is available, you can join the waitlist. Joining the waitlist does not guarantee an appointment and does not create a practitioner–client relationship.
Your Nurse Practitioner visit
Medical visits at Bloom are provided by Iris Calloway, MN, NP. A Nurse Practitioner is a regulated health professional. In Alberta, Nurse Practitioners practise under the standards of the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CRNA). Please do not call your Nurse Practitioner “doctor.” The protected title is Nurse Practitioner, or NP.
A medical visit may include talking through your health history and current concerns, reviewing medicines and relevant test results, and discussing possible next steps. Depending on your situation, that might include laboratory work or other investigations, a prescription if one is appropriate, or a suggestion to follow up in person or with another service. A Nurse Practitioner works within their professional scope. A first visit cannot cover every issue, and not every concern can be safely assessed by video.
What happens in your visit is individual. No article can promise a particular diagnosis, prescription, test or outcome.
Your Herbalist and Nutrition Specialist visit
Wellness visits at Bloom are offered by Rosemary Hale, Herbalist and Nutrition Specialist. This is complementary wellness support: education and coaching around everyday habits, food and herbal products. It is not medical care, and it does not replace an assessment by a Nurse Practitioner, physician, Registered Dietitian or other regulated health professional.
Herbalists and nutrition specialists are not a regulated health profession in Alberta. Rosemary Hale is not a Registered Dietitian, a physician or a Nurse Practitioner, and a wellness visit is not a medical diagnosis or a medical treatment. If a food, tea or natural health product comes up in conversation, that discussion is educational. Any product that makes a health claim in Canada should carry an eight-digit Natural Product Number (NPN) or Homeopathic Medicine Number (DIN-HM) on the label. “Natural” does not mean a product is suitable for you, free of side effects, or safe to mix with medicines.
If you are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, breastfeeding, giving a product to a child, or taking other medicines, ask a pharmacist or other healthcare provider before you start a natural health product.
If you book an integrated visit
An integrated visit is one 60-minute appointment with your Nurse Practitioner and your Herbalist & Nutrition Specialist, bringing medical and holistic care together in a single appointment.
The Nurse Practitioner remains responsible for medical assessment, diagnoses, prescriptions and decisions about tests. The Herbalist & Nutrition Specialist offers complementary wellness education and coaching. That support does not replace medical care, and it does not turn wellness guidance into a medical treatment.
How to prepare
A little preparation helps your visit time go further:
- Find a private place with a stable internet connection, and test your camera and microphone ahead of time if you can.
- Have your government-issued identification nearby if you are asked to confirm who you are.
- Write down your main questions. If you have several, put the most important one first.
- Make a list of medicines, vitamins and natural health products you take, including doses if you know them. Keep the bottles nearby so you can read the labels.
- If you have recent laboratory reports or clinic letters, have them available to look at or share as instructed.
- Note any allergies, and the name of the pharmacy you usually use.
- Join a few minutes early so technical hiccups are less likely to use up visit time.
During the visit
Your practitioner will ask questions and give you time to describe what has been going on. You can say if you do not understand something, if you need a moment, or if you would rather not discuss a topic. You can also ask what will happen after the visit, including how any follow-up, prescriptions or suggested tests will be handled.
A virtual visit has limits. If the person you are seeing decides that you need an in-person examination, urgent care or another service, they should say so. You should also say if you feel worse during the visit or if you think you need emergency care.
After the visit, billing and prescriptions
Our clinic does not offer direct billing for visits or services. Our partner pharmacy can direct bill your insurance for prescribed medications and supplies, and can check your coverage for you. You pay for the appointment, and you can submit the receipt to your insurer yourself if you have coverage. Whether a visit is reimbursed depends on your plan.
Canadian rules limit how prescription medicines may be advertised to the public, so this page does not name or promote any specific prescription drug. If a medicine is appropriate for you, that decision is made in a visit, not by an article.
Cancellations and changing your time
If you need to cancel or reschedule, please let us know at least 24 hours before your appointment. You will receive a full refund, or we will move you to a new time. Cancellations or changes made within 24 hours of the appointment, and missed appointments, are charged the full visit fee.
If you need care sooner than a booked visit
Bloom does not provide urgent or emergency care, and booking or joining the waitlist is not a way to get immediate help. If you are in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. For non-urgent advice, call Health Link at 811.
References
These sources were checked when this article was written. They are offered so you can read the same public information we used.
- College of Registered Nurses of Alberta, Advertising Standards (2022). https://www.nurses.ab.ca/media/0lvl2ewz/advertising-standards-2022.pdf
- Government of Alberta, Regulated health professions. https://www.alberta.ca/regulated-health-professions
- Health Canada, Information Sheet #5 for Consumers: Informing Yourself About Natural Health Products. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/natural-non-prescription/information-sheet-5-consumers-informing-yourself-informing-you-about-natural-health-products-health-canada.html
- Health Canada, Illegal marketing of prescription drugs. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/marketing-drugs-devices/illegal-marketing/prescription-drugs.html
- Public Health Agency of Canada, Mental health support: Get help. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/mental-health-services/mental-health-get-help.html