Going To Urgent Care

Answer 1

If you are seeking emergency treatment for a health concern and do not have the time to wait in an emergency room, an urgent care facility may be the answer. Some urgent care facilities are just as crowded as hospitals, but you can often be seen in little time if they are not busy. There is always more than one doctor working at the location so you are guaranteed to see someone at some point. Urgent care facilities do not always have everything that emergency rooms carry, but you can get a prescription written and x-rays completed.

One of the reasons that people choose to go to an urgent care location is because they are smaller than emergency rooms. Since they are smaller, you usually won't wait as long to see a doctor. If you only need lab work done or a simple test, you can probably see a physician's assistant instead of the doctor. Urgent care offices see patients ranging in age from newborns to the elderly. Most patients who go to urgent care facilities drive to the office by themselves or they get someone else to take them. They are not usually of an emergent status, but do need to see a doctor as soon as possible.

As you arrive to the urgent care office, you will be asked about the reason you are there. Patients are seen depending on how quickly they need to see a doctor. Someone who has a cough will be seen after someone who may have a severe pain in their body. When you are called back to the exam room, you will have your weight recorded as well as your temperature and other vital signs. The doctor will examine you and inform you of what illness you may have. They will probably write a prescription and ask that you come back in about five to seven days in order to be examined again. If you need to be seen at the hospital, the doctor will send your information to the emergency room so they will be able to see you quickly.