4 Differences Between Urgent Care and Walk-In Clinics

by Kevin Smith Author

In all likelihood, you’ve seen both urgent care centers and walk-in clinics open to treat patients. Many people think that these facilities are the same but there are some key differences. Understanding the differences between these two medical facilities will allow you to determine which one you need. Here are some of the differences between urgent care and a walk-in clinic in Suwanee, GA.

What They Treat

The biggest factor regarding which facility you should visit is the type of attention you need. An urgent care center acts more closely to an emergency room than a walk-in clinic. This is for people that have illnesses that aren’t life-threatening but require immediate attention. This might include such issues as broken bones or burns. A walk-in clinic is for people that have less serious conditions, such as allergies, colds, the flu, an earache, or strep throat.

Equipment

Since an urgent care facility deals with more serious medical issues, they need certain equipment that might not be needed at a walk-in clinic. It’s common to see an x-ray machine used at an urgent care center to determine if a patient has a broken bone. A walk-in clinic, on the other hand, will typically have only the basic medical needs for patients since they don’t deal with more serious injuries.

Available Personnel

As previously mentioned, an urgent care center deals with patients that have more serious conditions than a walk-in clinic. For this reason, an urgent care center will have at least one medical doctor available at all times. This is in addition to nurse practitioners and physician assistants. While a medical doctor is always available at an urgent care facility, that doesn’t mean that you’ll see them. Usually only a nurse practitioner or physician assistant will be needed to serve your needs. A walk-in clinic doesn’t have any doctors on staff as only nurse practitioners or physician assistants are needed to solve the issues this type of facility will treat.

Cost

A trip to an urgent care center will usually cost quite a bit more than a trip to a walk-in clinic. This is due to the staffing of a medical doctor and the equipment provided at an urgent care center. It’s important to know which facility you need as going to an urgent care facility for a cold could result in spending much more money than you would at a walk-in clinic.

While it’s common that people confuse urgent care and walk-in clinics, there are some key differences. Understanding the differences will ensure that you find the place that will provide the right treatment. These are three main differences between an urgent care center and walk-in clinic in Suwanee, GA.