Blood tests and sample collection

• Call the appointment centre in your region 
  If you don’t have internet access or need help booking an appointment for  specimen collection or a blood test, you can book an appointment by calling your local test centre Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

  1 888 862-3487, option 3

  Choose one of the following options, for your MRC:

Walk-in appointments may be possible depending on the site’s capacity. 

Rules to follow during your appointment at the test centre  

Bring your health insurance card and your requisition (paper copy preferably, or electronic).

Please arrive no more than 10 minutes before your appointment.

To find out the opening hours in your sector, click here (in French).

Need help to book an appointment on Clic Santé?  

Here are a few tools we’ve designed to help guide you:  

• Information pamphlet (in French)
• Step-by-step videos:
  - How to create a citizen account on Clic Santé  (In French)
  - How to book an appointment at a test centre on Clic Santé (In French)
  - How to cancel an appointment on Clic Santé  (In French)
• Step-by-step images: 
  - How to create a citizen account on Clic Santé (In French)
  - How to book an appointment at a test centre on Clic Santé  (In French)
  - How to cancel an appointment on Clic Santé (In French)

Tips on how to book an appointment online with Clic Santé

Here’s some information to help you book your appointment.

Have your prescription on hand.

If you don’t have information on your requisition (fasting or non-fasting, at a hospital, etc.), and you weren’t given instructions (from a doctor or nurse, etc.), you can call the appointment centre in your region.

Check the top of you requisition to see if a specific time has been requested for your test. If an appointment is not available based on the recommendation on the requisition, call the appointment centre in your region.

Check whether a letter (A, B, C or D) is indicated to the right of the test that is check-marked or in the title of the section, and make sure you know what it means before booking the appointment.      

• (A) : You must call the appointment centre in your region to book the appointment, because specific details must be taken into account for this test.  
• (B) : The test must be done at a hospital centre (HC). You can book the appointment on Clic Santé, but select the hospital in your region..
• (C) : You must fast for 8 hours (no drinking or eating 8 hours prior to testing, water and medications permitted). The appointment must be in the morning. Select the “Fasting” service on Clic Santé.
• (D) : You must fast for 12 (no drinking or eating 12 hours prior to testing, water and medications permitted). The appointment must be in the morning. Select the  “Fasting” service on Clic Santé.

Special information for certain tests:
Appointments for the following tests must be:

Before 10 a.m. 
- Testosterone
- Iron profile
- Morning cortisol levels

Blood test within at least 2 hours of waking 
- Prolactin levels

By phone 
- Genetic testing 

If you’re taking medication, unless otherwise indicated by the prescribing doctor, the appointment must be booked around the time you usually take your medication. Take your medication after the blood test.

If you’re having a contrast X-ray (e.g., barium, iodine, etc.), wait 48 hours to have your blood test. 

If your child is under 8 years of age and must have a blood test, the appointment must be made at the test centre for children 0-7 years of age (fasting or non-fasting). 

Tips on how to reduce stress and pain in children 

Did you know that you can apply a little anesthetizing ointment (in French) to reduce the discomfort associated with a blood test? You can also bring along objects or toys to distract your child. If you’d like advice on how to reduce stress related to blood tests or pain, consult the Tout Doux strategies on CHU Saint-Justine’s website. You’ll find tips on how to prepare you and your child for treatment, ways to distract your child, comfortable positions and more.  

Information pamphlets for special tests 

Consult the pamphlets at the bottom of the page.

List of blood tests that require fasting 

Consult this PDF (in French)