When You Should—and Shouldn’t—Go to an Urgent Care Center
Your eyes aren’t deceiving you: You really are seeing urgent care centers popping up everywhere. In fact, they are one of the fastest-growing segments in the American healthcare system.
According to the Urgent Care Association of America, around three million patients visit an urgent care center each week. With close to 10,000 urgent care centers open across the country, chances are there’s at least one near where you live. And that probably makes you wonder: When would you need to go to one?
First off, what is an urgent care center?
An urgent care center is designed to handle health problems that need immediate attention but aren’t life-threatening or emergencies, like stitches, sprains and x-rays. They are staffed by medical doctors who are able to treat more serious issues. Urgent care centers are different from in-store retail clinics (like the ones you may find at Walgreens or CVS), which are usually staffed by physicians assistants or nurse practitioners and focus on providing convenient, routine care like flu shots or treatments for minor issues like an ear infection.
When should I visit an urgent care center?
When at all possible, the best first step when seeking non-emergency care is to speak with your primary care doctor. Your regular doctor knows you and your medical history, whereas you are meeting a doctor at an urgent care center for the first time. Because of that, your primary doctor will be able to figure out which symptoms are uncharacteristic for you and help answer medical questions while taking into account any past issues.
If you need immediate attention for a non-life-threatening issue and cannot see your primary care physician—maybe it’s the middle of the night or you’re on vacation—here is a list of common health problems that urgent care centers can help with:
- Animal bites
- Stitches
- X-rays
- Back pain
- Mild asthma
- Minor headaches
- Sprains, strains
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
- Bumps, cuts, scrapes
- Burning with urination
- Cough, sore throat
- Ear or sinus pain
- Eye swelling, irritation, redness or pain
- Minor allergic reaction
- Minor fever, colds
- Rash, minor bumps
- Vaccination
Want to learn more about care tips and benefits? You may like these posts from this blog as well as A Healthier Michigan:
Photo credit: *Zoup*
Great list of different problems that you should visit an urgent care center to be treated for. It is great to have access to an urgent care center near you. Thanks for sharing!
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It seems that my daughter is the most accident-prone person in the world, so I really appreciate this guide of when I should take her to urgent care. I remember a time that she got burned from a fire while we were on vacation, and the urgent care was very helpful. I hope all people will be able to educate themselves on the best times to go to urgent care so that they can get the best care possible. Thanks for this information. http://www.sunsetwalk-inhealthcare.com
We took my son recently to an urgent care for some stitches, and we got charged quite a bit for it. We are trying to look up if there is somehow a cheaper alternative if one of our sons ever has to get stitches in the future. From the looks of it, it sound like urgent care is usually the answer to an issue such as stitches, but perhaps next time we’ll contact our family doctor before we go to see if it is something that needs to be taken care of right away. Thanks for the info. http://advmednaples.com/features/urgent-care-walk-in-naples/
Thanks for the great read. You wrote that urgent care facilities are designed to handle health problems that need immediate attention but aren’t life-threatening or emergencies. I had traditionally gone to a doctor for issues like this, but knowing that I could walk in and get help without an appointment would be great. I’ll have to find an urgent care facility near me.
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Hi Dennis,
We’re glad you found the article helpful!
Best,
Taylar
With three boys running around the house, I feel that some sort of accident or medical emergency is inevitable. I want to make sure that when this happens I will be prepared and know where to go. Like you said, especially when problems arise in the middle of the night or one vacation, an urgent care can be great to help treat the various health problems you mentioned. Thanks for sharing! http://www.lacostaurgentcare.com/
My nephew is going to be staying with me this fall. I want to know where I should take him if he gets sick. It is good to know that if he starts vomiting I should take him to urgent care. http://www.walkinfamilymedicinecenter.com/
Hi Penelope, That’s correct: if your nephew is experiencing non-life-threatening issues and his primary care physician is not in your area, it is advised to take him to an urgent care center. If the issue is more serious, you should take him to the emergency room. Hope this helps, Taylar
Thanks for bringing to my attention that urgent care is good for things that need immediate attention but aren’t emergencies. My husband and I just moved into a new area, so we wanted to figure out where to go if we were ever in an urgent situation. It’s good to know that we should go to urgent care if it isn’t life threatening. https://www.75thstreeturgentcare.com/
It was nice to know that urgent care centers can help you with non-life-threatening issues such as minor headaches and back pains. My husband’s allergy is getting triggered for some reasons because he has been complaining about itchy and watery eyes. Since he can still do his normal activities in spite of his condition, it will be best for me to find an urgent care center where I can bring him. Thanks! https://pdqurgentcareandmore.com/services
Thanks Ellen, We appreciate the feedback!
It’s good to know that the best times to see an urgent care center are when you have an illness or injury that is not life-threatening and you’re not able to see your regular doctor. My husband has problems with his asthma every now and then, and it would be great for us to have a place to go when he really needs help getting his breathing under control. We’ll have to find an urgent care center that knows how to treat asthma so that we are always prepared.
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It’s good to know that there’s another option other than the emergency room, as you said. I appreciate especially where you mention that they can help with animal bites and stitches. My daughter is really active, and so it’s good to know where I can take her if she gets hurt.
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