Services Offered at Mentor Clinic
Mentor Clinic aims to provide as many of the primary care services that most patients require. The following services are available at no cost to patients:
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Proactive healthcare and health goal setting
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Ear Syringing
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Family Planning & Birth Control,
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Well Women and Babies clinics
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Pap tests
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IUD insertion (the IUD device must be purchased by the patient).
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Immunizations/Vaccinations – flu, pneumonia (some immunizations are not covered – see Paid Services below).
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Rapid Strep Testing
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Appointments with all of our in-house Providers (see Our Team).
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Group Sessions (see our Groups page).
Some services are not covered by the Nova Scotia government, and therefore we charge a fee for these services. Our administrative team or your healthcare provider will let you know if there will be a fee for any services when you are booking your appointment.
The fees from all Uninsured Services go into our Patient Support Fund, which we use to assist patients in need of emergency support with items such as food cards, baby formula and diapers, transportation to appointments, assistance with healthcare aides such as walkers or canes, prescription medications, when no other community supports are available. Examples of services for which we charge a fee are:
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Examinations and Forms – for work, school, insurance, governments, etc. (e.g. Driver medicals, disability forms)
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Some Immunizations (e.g. shingles vaccine)
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IUD’s – the device itself must be purchased by the patient.
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Removal of Warts and Non-Malignant Lesions
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Cardiopulmonary Testing (VO2 Max) & resting metabolic rate
For an updated list of uninsured service fee's click below.
VO2 Max testing – starting April 2025
The Mentor Clinic takes a proactive approach to your health and medicine and establish a new standard of care for Nova Scotians. We're proud to offer in-house VO2 and Resting Metabolic Rate testing using COSMED's laboratory-grade Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing equipment. These services are available to Mentor Clinic Patients and the general public.
Resting Metabolic Rate
Resting Metabolic Rate tests measure the number of calories your body needs to perform basic functions like breathing, circulating blood, and maintaining body temperature while at rest. It provides a personalized understanding of your metabolism, helping you to plan effective nutrition and weight management strategies.
RMR testing is valuable for anyone looking to optimize their diet, manage weight, or improve overall health by tailoring their caloric intake to their unique metabolic rate.
VO2 Max and Sub-Maximal
VO2 Max is a measure of the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise. It reflects how well your heart and lungs work together to take oxygen from the air, move it into the bloodstream and pump it to the muscles throughout the body.
This is called cardio-respiratory fitness. A higher VO2 Max indicates better aerobic fitness, meaning your heart, lungs, and muscles can work efficiently for longer periods. Higher cardio-respiratory fitness has been associated with increased longevity, a lower risk of death from all causes and reductions in coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, cancer. (Mandsager et al., 2018)
VO2 FAQ's
When doing a maximal VO2 test, you progressively exercise harder and harder until you reach the highest intensity you can handle. This usually takes between 7 and 12 minutes.
A sub-maximal VO2 test is performed at a lower and steady-state intensity that increases in a stepwise format. This test also lasts for 7 to 12 minutes and provides you with your estimated VO2 max.
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What are the benefits of knowing your resting metabolic rate?
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More accurately plan your nutrition and healthy meals
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Efficient weight management
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Optimize exercise programs
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Better understand why you are losing, gaining or maintaining weight
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Enhance overall well-being by taking control of your health
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Everyone should know their VO2 max, whether an athlete or not. VO2 max helps you understand your overall fitness level and the health of your heart and lungs. It helps you set realistic fitness goals and can alert you of potential health issues early on.
Personalized health information like VO2 max can motivate you to adopt a healthier lifestyle by providing a clear fitness baseline and showing improvements over time. Additionally, having a good VO2 max is linked to increased longevity and a longer health span, meaning you can live a healthier life for longer.
Yes. With regular aerobic exercise, you can increase your VO2 max, at any age. This is why everyone should know their VO2 max, because of the ability to change it and the immense benefits associated with doing so at any age.