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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 Program 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 Program at SWC currently includes nurses, counsellors, 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 be included in the Gender Affirming Care Program. Students can complete our online form requesting to be on the waitlist. If there are questions regarding your form, someone will reach out to you for clarification.

When there is an opening on the waitlist, folks will be contacted in chronological order. The wait to be seen can range from a few months to a year. We are continuously reassessing our waitlist capacity and will be updating the website with this information on an ongoing basis.

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. Hormone readiness assessments and possible hormone replacement therapy (HRT) prescription. This is for students that have never been on HRT before.
  2. Restarts of HRT. This is for students for whom it has been greater than one year since stopping HRT.
  3. Surgical referrals including: top surgery, orchiectomy or hysterectomy*

    *Some surgeries (such as vaginoplasty or phalloplasty) require a surgical assessor to complete a readiness assessment. These assessments are currently completed through Trans Care BC. 

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

  1. Prescription refills or restarting a prescription if it has been less than one year since stopping. Students can make an appointment with any physician for this.
  2. Resource 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 hoping for.
  3. Mental health support. These appointments are completed with a nurse or counsellor.
  4. 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 the next student on the waitlist to book a nursing intake appointment.
    You will have one week to respond to the SWT to book this appointment. Following this, the next person on the list will be contacted.

  1. Nursing intake appointment
    This appointment is 1 hour long. In this appointment, the nurse will collect information that you are comfortable sharing in regards to your gender journey and goals. The nurse will ask questions about medical history, current medications, and go over any helpful information about next steps.

    During the nursing intake appointment, you and the nurse will determine if a physician appointment is needed and book it if so. 

  1. Physician appointment
    This appointment is 30 minutes long. At this appointment, the information from the nursing appointment will be reviewed and a hormone or surgical readiness assessment may be completed.

    The physician may prescribe HRT at this time or send a referral for top surgery, orchiectomy or hysterectomy. A follow-up plan will then be determined based on this discussion.
  1. 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.

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

  1. Trans Care BCis 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.

Resources

  • The Chair in Transgender Studies has several resources available such as Vancouver Island Trans Resources and Transgender Archives.
  • UVic Pride celebrates sexual, gender and romantic diversity. You can find resources, chat online, take workshops and take part in events.
  • The Gender Empowerment Centre is a space for self-identified women, non-binary and gender non-conforming folks. It’s a place where you can organize, network, access resources, attend workshops and events, study and relax.
  • Equity and Human Rights has a selection of resources to support greater inclusion of trans, Two-Spirit, non-binary, and all gender diverse people. Learn about available resources for trans, Two-spirit and non-binary students to access around your health and external resources that advocate for you. There is also information on steps to take to update your personal information such as your name and gender so you’re not misidentified through UVic systems and where to find all-gender washrooms on campus.