DO NOT GOT TO THIS DR OR THIS SURGERY!! By far the worst experience I have EVER had in my life with a GP and surgery! Lack of knowledge, lack of professionalism and lack of duty of care!
1. First appointment regarding abortion process I was in a room with about 100 baby photos – completely inappropriate
2. Undertook a medical abortion with the direction of Dr. Fowke at home and had adverse reactions to the medication – of which she did not warn me at all about! Duty of care? ZERO
3. When I phoned the medical practice the next morning the nurse told me not to get bloods done and to come straight in
4. When I got into see Dr. Fowke she told me I should have got bloods done? No consistency within the practice.
5. When I told Dr. Fowke about the adverse reactions I had to the medication she simply said “oh sorry I should have warned you about that”!!!
6. Dr. Fowke asked me if I minded a medication student watching the ultra-sound process which I clearly stated I do mind and I was not comfortable with a medical student in the room
7. Dr Fowke left me in the room to get unchanged while she got the ultra-sound machine. She left me for approx. 20-30 minutes laying on a bed naked while I assume she was seeing another patient!
8. While I was naked laying on the bed, the medical student walked in the room, started looking at the computer with my medical file on it, started asking me questions, to which I was horrified and politely told her that I advised the Dr I was not comfortable with a medical student being in the room! Every consent law ever written broken!!?
9. By this time I was emotional and crying. Dr Fowke came back into the room, TRIED to give me an ultra-sound however could not get the machine to work and therefore could not provide me with any information relating to the status of my pregnancy. All the while kept repeating “this is not my fault someone has been playing with my machine”. Are you not the Dr and are you not trained to use this machine? At this point I was uncontrollably crying as I had ZERO confidence in her.
10. After the ultra-sound she prescribed me the same medication that I had an adverse reaction to, with no discussion of any other options.
11. Dr Fowke let me leave the surgery when I was in such a state of upset that I couldn’t even talk, she offered no counseling, nothing. Again, duty of care?
12. IF THIS WASN’T ENOUGH – Dr Fowke then phoned me as I did not go back to the practice later that afternoon as discussed for the second round medication. I provided my feedback to her as above, she agreed that all points were valid and stated that “I usually provide a good service”. USUALLY! You are a Dr. you should ALWAYS provide an exceptional service!!
13. Dr Fowke then stated “I am the only Dr in the Bow Valley that provides this service and if you chose not to come back to me you will not ever be welcome back!” to this I responded “that in itself is unprofessional and that is the exact reason I will never be returning to your clinic”. Is this the Dr trying to black mail me in going back to her absolutely disgraceful service!?
14. AND IF THIS WASN’T ENOUGH – I then phoned and spoke to the “Clinic Manager – Laura” who basically dismissed half my concerns, stated it is not the responsibility of the Dr to advise of side effects of medications, oh sorry we do need to put in better processes so medical students are advised by the Dr before they enter the room, and the “ultra-sound” machine isn’t actually an ultra-sound machine, it’s another tool used so you don’t have to go and get a full ultra-sound (umm yes but surely the Dr. should be properly trained in how to use it!!?) AND THEN Laura stated that there is another Dr. in the very same practice, that undertakes medical abortions – so Dr. Fowke plain out lied to me!? AND THEN when I asked Laura, as the Clinic Manager, if I was not welcome back to the clinic as per the discussion with Dr. Fowke, she ummed and arred and would not give me a straight answer. So am I banned from this medical clinic due to the inabilities of the Dr herself!? Well it’s safe to say I will never be returning to this clinic and I hope for everyone else’s safety and well being no one else does either! To go through such a medical process like this is sensitive and hard enough as it is let alone having to go through what this clinic has put me through. Absolutely disgusting.

I saw her on several occasions about a sore elbow. I had broken it a few years prior and I felt like it never healed properly. She dismissed it on all appointments and just tried to get me on some prescriptions. She spent almost no time discussing my issue and brushed it off so she could push me into getting in IUD. I never went there to discuss my birth control options, and once I politely declined she made a comment about my weight… I’m 5’4 and 155lbs. I don’t feel that’s a concern.
I will never go back to her again. Horrible, horrible bedside manner. She’s a pushy and aggressive salesperson for birth control