Urgent Care Clinic vs. Walk In Clinics

Urgent Care Clinic

            An urgent care clinic is an excellent alternative to the emergency room when you need to see a doctor quickly but aren’t facing a life threatening illness or injury. Wait times here are generally much shorter than emergency rooms and patients pay less out of pocket costs. They are able to serve patients beyond the capacities of a regular walk-in clinic and are staffed with qualified physicians and medical assistants. Urgent care clinics are open for extended hours and will effectively treat non-life threatening ailments.

Walk-in Clinics

            These are designed to treat common illnesses like sinus ailments, flu or strep throat. They provide just basic health care and are usually staffed by a nurse practitioner or sometimes a physician’s assistant. They are authorized to write prescriptions to treat symptoms and are convenient for patients with minor illnesses. The wait times at these clinics can be unpredictable and they provide less specialized care since they may not have the expertise or supplies to treat an unusual problem.

Major differences

            So far, the two clinics may sound similar but the main difference is that they serve different degrees of injuries and illnesses. A walk-in clinic is convenient but can only treat certain small cases of illnesses like a moderate cough or flu whereas an urgent care clinic can treat complex cases as well as more severe ailments like broken bones and fractures, high fevers and severe sunburns.

A good overall rule of thumb is that for anything life-threatening: dial 911 immediately and for the immediate treatment of severe injuries and illnesses call and see an urgent care clinic. They can treat most cases with ease and a short wait time. Walk-in clinics may be accessible but you can’t be sure if they’ll be able to treat every situation, but may be more suitable if it’s an ailment that isn’t causing too much pain or discomfort.

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Created on Dec 31st 1969 18:00. Viewed 0 times.

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