The preference today in health care is for the urgent care clinic. Statistics show that more people are opting to visit urgent care clinics more than the emergency room. However, not many people understand the difference between an urgent care clinic and a walk in clinic. The following explanation will give you a clear idea of the purpose and characteristics of both.
A walk in clinic is designed to deal with the common everyday problems such as the flu, common colds, or strep throat. They are not staffed with specialists or specialized equipment. These clinics usually have the basic equipment. They are staffed by nurses and physician assistants. These clinics are designed to make health care affordable and convenient. You can simply walk into the clinic and get the treatment that you need. The nurses and physician assistants in the walk in clinics are able to prescribe drugs.
An urgent care clinic is similar to a walk in clinic. However, an urgent care clinic provides care for acute illnesses and injuries. This means that the clinic is able to handle care for conditions beyond the capabilities of an ordinary walk in clinic.
Urgent care clinics open for extended hours to cater to the needs of patients who need urgent care throughout the day. Although the clinic is able to deal with the needs of those with acute injuries or illnesses, the clinics can only handle conditions that are not life threatening. Any life threatening cases are referred to a proper emergency room. The idea behind the urgent care clinic is to ease the pressure on emergency rooms by catering for all the non life threatening conditions.
Urgent care clinics charge much more for their services than walk in clinics. This is because an urgent care clinic is designed to handle a wider range of conditions than the walk in clinic. You will find that you are charged similarly to seeing a specialist.
Urgent care clinics however, offer the advantage of not needing appointments. The patients can simply walk in and get treatment for various conditions. The clinics serve patients on a first come first served basis. However, more critical conditions are attended to first.
It is important to determine whether an urgent care clinic would be able to meet your requirements. If your condition or the condition of the person you are taking to the clinic is critical or life threatening, you ought to take them to an emergency room.
My InstaDoc Urgent Care of Monroe are staffed with doctors and nurses capable of handling a wide range of conditions. Find out what the nearest urgent care clinic can handle to ensure that you know where to go in case of an emergency.
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