Vancouver ER Wait Times

5 hospital ERs, including a children's ER plus 5 urgent care centres in Vancouver. Check available wait times from official sources, hours and directions.

9 of 10 reportingSource: official sources

Right now· 9 in 10 patients seen within

5 of 5 ERs reporting

Typical wait3 hr 30 minMedian across reporting ERs
Shortest wait1 hr 45 minSt. Paul's HospitalLongest wait5 hr 0 minVancouver General Hospital
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Vancouver children's ER wait times

Children's emergency departments see children and teens only; adults go to an adult or all-ages ER.

Vancouver urgent care wait times

Urgent care treats problems that need care today but are not life-threatening. It is not an ER.

All urgent care wait times

Which Vancouver hospitals handle trauma, stroke or burns?

From each hospital's official services list. In an emergency, paramedics take you to the right hospital: call 911.
Trauma care
BC Children's Hospital, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital
Stroke care
Vancouver General Hospital
Burn care
BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital
Children's emergency care
BC Children's Hospital
Psychiatric emergency care
BC Children's Hospital, St. Paul's Hospital, UBC Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital
Labour and delivery
St. Paul's Hospital

ER, urgent care or walk-in clinic?

  • Emergency department

    Serious problems that need a hospital, any time: broken bones, deep cuts, severe pain, or a fever in a baby under 3 months.

  • Urgent care

    Problems that are not life-threatening but need care today: sprains, minor cuts and burns, infections. Hours are often limited.

  • Walk-in clinics

    Minor problems such as colds, sore throats, rashes or prescription refills are often quicker here.

Not sure where to go?

Call HealthLink BC at 811 to talk to a nurse. About HealthLink BC

Call 811

Call 911

Chest pain or pressure, signs of a stroke, severe bleeding, trouble breathing, a serious injury, or someone who will not wake up.

Call 911

Vancouver ER wait time questions

What is the shortest ER wait in Vancouver right now?

At 5:25 pm PDT, the shortest published ER wait was St. Paul's Hospital at 1 hour 45 minutes. The median across 5 reporting ERs was 3 hours 30 minutes. Numbers change through the day, so check the list above before you go.

How are Vancouver ER wait times calculated?

edwaittimes.ca publishes "9 in 10 patients seen within": 'Wait Time' is the time it takes for almost all patients – 9 out of every 10 who visit the ED – to be seen by a physician. This is also known as the 90th percentile and is the time in which 90% of all people seeking care will be seen. Some people, about 10%, may have to wait longer than this time. Wait time refers to the length of time between being assessed by a triage nurse and seeing a doctor or nurse practitioner.

These measures can differ in their starting point and statistic. Compare estimates within the same measurement group. Patients with the most urgent needs are seen first.

Source: edwaittimes.ca

How often are Vancouver ER wait times updated?

Providers publish estimates on different schedules. Our checks are separate from those updates, and the displayed number may stay the same after a check. Each listing shows its available timestamp; check the source-specific frequencies below.

Publication and checking frequencies
SourceProvider updatesOur checks
edwaittimes.caAbout every 5 minutesEvery 5 minutes

Is there a children's ER in Vancouver?

Yes: BC Children's Hospital. Children's emergency departments see children and teens; adults should go to an adult or all-ages ER. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911.

Do all ERs listed on this Vancouver page publish wait times?

No. REACH Urgent and Primary Care Centre is listed without a published wait; its page shows the nearest tracked sites that do publish one.

Should I go to urgent care or the ER in Vancouver?

Call 911 for anything life-threatening. An emergency department is for serious problems that need a hospital. Urgent care treats problems that are not life-threatening but need care the same day, and its waits are listed separately. If you are not sure where to go, call HealthLink BC at 811 for advice from a nurse.

More British Columbia wait times

Photo credits (5)
  • St. Paul's Hospital: photo by Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Mount Saint Joseph Hospital: photo by Yuet Man Lee, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • UBC Hospital: photo by Arnold C, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Vancouver General Hospital: photo by Mike from Vancouver, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • BC Children's Hospital: photo by Jeff Hitchcock from Seattle, WA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Medical emergency? Call 911 now.

Do not check wait times or drive yourself if you have chest pain, signs of a stroke, severe bleeding or trouble breathing. Paramedics can start treatment on the way to hospital.

Call 911