Calgary Laboratory Services

Due to a recent medical blip I am becoming somewhat of a lab rat.
This location is average. It is hard to find, especially if you don’t read signs or get lost easily. It’s on the third floor and depending on the entrance you use, it’s a bit a maze to get to. I was there at 7AM (opening) and there was already a line of 17 people ahead of me, many without appointments. I myself did not have one (not an option) and this meant I waited almost 40 minutes for my number to be called and another 10 – 15 for my tests to happen. Not very good.
The staff who do the testing though were super friendly, probably friendlier than most. The ladies running the desk were mixed. If you spoke English, had an appointment or were at least following the number system, you were treated well. If you didn’t speak English (like 4 of the patients who came in) or had an offside question they just yelled. It was awkward. Also, when they called names or numbers, they gave about 2 seconds for people to hear, get their things and get to the front before calling the next name/​number. This resulted in a lot of unnecessary chaos. I was actively waiting for my number to be called, am relatively young and able bodied and I didn’t make it the 6 chairs to the front in time.
Location of this lab if you work downtown is great. That and the friendly blood-​drawers bump what would otherwise be a two to a three.

My mother and I have both had blood work done here, and it is so easy breezy. This location is attached to Banker’s Hall so if you are downtown, you can walk to this location using the walkway and not have to even entertain the cold weather.
The Gulf Canada building of course is quite fancy and because of all the elevators it is quite easy to get lost, the security folks and info services however are very helpful in trying to find what you are looking for.
The laboratory receptionist and staff are amenable to your needs and are super pleasant. The process is a quick one and there isn’t much wait time.
If you are in a vehicle, parking rates are atrocious downtown so you may consider park and riding or going to a laboratory service outside of downtown, if you are in the downtown vicinity however this one and Sheldon Chumir are your only options.