Just curious US vs Canada or just different practices...

rkto

I am Canadian - so I will tell you my experience and you tell me yours.  Other Canadians may have different experiences. 

I also assume everything is like it is on television. 

Appt 1 - went to my family doctor.  she sent me to the lab for an u/s done by a tech.  The family doctor will never be in the room for an ultrasound with me. 

at 12 weeks - go to the OB - he will send me for u/s done by a technician.  He will never be in the room for the ultrasound either.  It is often at a different location.  There can be a doctor at the ultrasound lab but he is the one that reads the ultrasounds (similar to the radiologist in the xray lab) 

so when you are at the doctor/OB - do they do the ultrasound/doppler/other test right there in the office with you? On Friends, that is the way they did it.  And some of the posts here give me that vibe.  

Too much TV? 

Lissa832

With this pregnancy, my doctor has been the one to actually perform my ultrasounds, except for the 20 week ultrasound. I will be sent to the partner hospital for that to have one with a tech. With each of my other pregnancies though, the ultrasound is done onsite, but never by the doctor.

WyWysMommy

With my first pg, the Dr did all of the u/s himself with a nurse in the room for legal purposes. The only one he didn't do is the 20w anatomy scan. Which was done by the adjoining hospital's radiology dept. But when it was over we went to the Dr office and were told the results, other than the its a boy which we were told during the u/s.

Pina

My u/s are all done by an u/s tech at my OBGYN's office.  The tech did the first one at 6 wks, the second at 12 wks with the screening and then the next will be 20wks.  Tech looks over the u/s and tells me what she thinks, gives it to my ob and then she calls me the next day with her thoughts and opinions on how everything looks.

julygal

The practice I was with when I had DD, the dr did the u/s themselves in office (no tech), but those were for quick checks like when they couldn't find the heartbeat on the doppler.  All anatomy scans were done at a clinic that specialized in prenatal u/s.  They had a tech perform the u/s and a dr there that read the results.  That dr gave me the results then sent them on to my regular OB for review.

The current practice I am with (that i had DS with as well) the in office u/s are done by a tech. The OB is not in the room.  All NT scans, anatomy scans and such are sent out of office to be done by a perinatalogist.  He reads the results of those, gives them to me while I am there, and sends them back to my regular OB for review. 

edited for clarification 

MsCrispy

My OB uses the doppler himself. For ultrasounds, I have a tech do them, but then he stops by and checks the results.

[Deleted User]

I live in the US.  My OB does the ultrasounds on me.

lmjt

My 1st OB did the u/s herself. That was all she did though, so I switched. My OB now has a tech, I go to the tech when I get to the office, she does the u/s, then I go with the pictures to the other room to see the OB and we discuss.

quezzo

My OB has done all the ultrasounds right there in the office. 

Tomsbabyboo

I am in Canada also. For me, I see my family Dr. until 28 weeks, then I switch to an OB. All of my ultrasounds will be set up through my family Dr.'s office (they submit the requisition) and I have them performed at the hospital through the fetal assessment unit. I had a dating u/s at 6weeks3days, I will have my NT scan at 12w3days and an anatomy scan around 20 weeks.

There is never a staff radiologist present during or performing the u/s. My husband is a radiology resident so I have the benefit of picking his brain after the imaging (i.e. at my dating u/s I had no idea that there was a cyst on my ovary until he told me afterwards, as the tech does not make any medical interpretations).

My best friend has gotten 2 dopplers done at her family Dr.'s office. I am going to ask my Dr. if they have a doppler (and if so if we can have a listen) at my appointment at 11w4d.

justrachet

I go to my hospital's OB clinic rather than a private practice. Most things are done in the exam room by a NP, my OB, or a med student (supervised by my OB, of course).

The NPs do all of the 8 week appts, in addition to random other appts when an OB is overbooked or OOT. They have transvaginal u/s equipment in the clinic and wheel it into the exam room for dating u/s at the 8 week appts or as needed.

Doppler is also done right there in the exam room, at 12 weeks and following. This is usually the main thing the med students get to do.

For the 18 week u/s, they give me paperwork ordering the u/s at my 8 week appt, and the check out desk at the OB clinic calls u/s and schedules it as I'm checking out. The u/s lab is not in the OB clinic, but on the same floor. The u/s is done by a doctor, but not my OB. 

The bloodwork lab is in the same building as the OB clinic. If I have bloodwork to be done, again the OB check out desk will put me in the system for the lab so they are expecting me, though I don't need an appt. I take my lab orders downstairs, and do it right after my OB appt. 

LisaMarie_

I am Canadian as well and what you described is pretty much how they do things here as well.

I called in to my family doctor to set up an appointment to let her know that I was pregnant. When I went in, she wrote down my due date, gave me all of the paper work to go and do (blood work, and ultrasound) which is all done at a different place. I had my ultrasound at 6 weeks 4 days at the ultrasound place, and will be doing my blood work at the lab also.

Then I go back to my doctor on March 28th (12 weeks) to have a check up/pap done if I need it. And go over blood work/the ultrasound. From there, I will be sent to a pregnancy clinic (the same place I went to with my first) since my family doctor doesn't deal with pregnancy/labour.

At that place, I will go in for all of my check ups, see how I am measuring, hear baby's heartbeat at each check up, etc. And then go for my 18-20 week ultrasound at the same place I went for my 6 week one.

shortstuff15

Woodsie:

I'm Canadian (AB). I will be seeing my regular doc until 2nd tri. He's sending me for an u/s. It's not done on site (done at the hospital) and he doesn't attend. The u/s results will be sent to my doc and we'll schedule a follow up appt to go over the results.

2nd tri u/s (anatomy screen), same thing. My OB will send me for an u/s at the hospital and the results will be sent to my OB. The OB will tell me the sex at a follow up appt.

My sister went through the exact same process. Her u/s tech told her what the sex was though, but that it wasn't 'official' until the OB verifies.

I think this will be standard procedure unless you're in a major centre where you might be sent to a radiologist for the u/s instead of the hospital. I don't think docs usually attend the u/s though. It might be different for you if you're in a different province though...

I don't think it's standard throughout the province.  I am also in Alberta, and not a large centre.  I went to my family doctor for confirmation, she sent a referral to my OB (same as with my daughter) but this time she sent me for my initial bloodwork (chicken pox, rubella, HIV stuff) as well.  Last time my OB sent me for that.  My first OB appointment is at about 12/13 weeks where he will book my one u/s at 20 weeks, done at a different location but not a hospital.  The ultrasound tech will be able to tell the sex and then my OB will just go over my results at my next appointment, whenever I have it booked.