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Student Wellness

LGBTQIA2S+ students

We strive to be inclusive and welcoming to students of all genders. All SWC staff welcome questions about gender during appointments.

Gender Affirming Care

Gender Affirming Care at the Student Wellness Centre

The Student Wellness Centre offers medical, surgical and social gender affirming care for trans, non-binary, 2 spirit and gender diverse folks.

The Gender Affirming Care (GAC) Program at SWC currently includes nurses, counsellors, psychologists, physicians and administrative staff.  We acknowledge that gender affirming care is uniquely individual and personal, and our role is to support students throughout this journey.

To serve students in the most equitable and supportive way, there is currently a waitlist to access GAC services at the SWC. The wait to be seen can range from a few months to a year. We are continuously assessing our waitlist capacity and will update the website with an anticipated opening date. If there are questions regarding your form, someone will reach out to you for clarification.

Waitlist Status: Next anticipated opening Fall 2027

We acknowledge that waiting for appointments can be filled with many different emotions. If you are in need of support while you wait, please reach out to the nursing team for additional resources and assistance. You can also check the list of resources here.

At present time, the Gender Affirming Care Program at SWC offers:

  1. Assessments for Gender Incongruence or Gender Dysphoria diagnosis for support in accessing extended health benefits (e.g. electrolysis), documentation for travel, etc. The psychologists team will see clients who need a diagnosis appointment only.
  2. Hormone related appointments: Hormone Readiness Assessments; Hormone Prescription starts, restarts and refills.
  3. Surgery related appointments: Surgical Readiness Assessments for Upper Surgeries (i.e. chest reduction & construction, breast construction & augmentation) and Gonadectomy (i.e. hysterectomy with or without oophorectomy, orchiectomy with or without scrotectomy); Referrals for a Surgical Readiness Assessments for Genital Surgeries (i.e. vaginoplasty, vulvoplasty, metoidioplasty, phalloplasty, clitoral release) to Trans Care BC. Assessments for genital surgeries must be done by a provider on Trans Care BC’s list of approved clinicians; post-op care for clients referred for surgeries by SWC clinicians.

*Other examples of Gender Affirming Care at SWC that do NOT need to be on the waitlist include:

  1. Resources wayfinding. This appointment can be with a nurse or counsellor to assist with connecting students to resources in the community and clarifying what services folks are looking for.
  2. Mental health support. These appointments are completed with a nurse or counsellor.
  3. Injection teaching. This is a nurse appointment.

    *This list is not comprehensive. Please speak with the Student Welcome Team or nursing team for further information.

What happens once you are on the waitlist for GAC?

  1. When an appointment opens up, a team member will contact folks in chronological order to book a GAC initial appointment.
    You will have one week to respond to book this appointment. Following this, the next person on the list will be contacted.

  2. GAC Initial
    Depending on the appointment needed by a client, you may be seeing a psychologist, nurse, or physician. Clients who need a diagnosis appointment will only see a psychologist. For most cases, the nurses are usually the first provider that a client will see. A GAC initial with a nurse is generally 1 hour long. Depending on the client, these appointments can be done in a 1 to 3+ series of visits. In these appointments, the nurse will collect information that you are comfortable sharing in regards to your gender journey and goals. The nurse will ask questions about your medical history, current medications, and go over any helpful information about next steps. We will also review important education regarding hormones and surgeries as needed.

    During the GAC initial appointment, you and the provider will determine the next steps e.g. GAC initial with a doctor, etc.
  3. Physician appointment
    If you are scheduled to see a physician next, this appointment is generally 30 minutes long. At this initial appointment, the information from the nursing appointment will be reviewed and the appropriate care will be provided.

  4. Counselling appointment
    An appointment with a counsellor is not required to be a part of the Gender Affirming Care Program. However, you and/or the provider may request this based on a variety of factors.

  5. Specialist referrals
    If it is determined that a specialist referral is required, this will be discussed with the providers as you access ongoing care.

What do I do while I’m waiting for an appointment?

  1. Trans Care BC is currently helping community members navigate Gender Affirming Care access in BC. While you wait for an appointment, they can help you navigate additional options available in your community.

  2. Please see the list of resources that may be helpful while you await an appointment.

  3. Reach out! If you have any questions, concerns or need support in any way, please request a nursing appointment with the front desk to discuss further.

Gender Affirming Care Resources

Gender Affirming Care for hormone initiation and hormone restarts and surgery referrals for new clients at the Student Wellness Centre is currently at capacity, and our waitlist is full. Please check back here on the status of the waitlist as more space becomes available. You can book an appointment with the nurses if you need help wayfinding resources.

In the meantime, here are some links you can access for navigating your health and support needs: