Everyone has health needs, and a person who has suffered a wound, illness, allergy, or injury may need urgent care or even emergency care right away. In some cases, this can save a life. A nearby, responsible adult may help a victim find the right clinic care or emergency care for them, and such clinic care may be just an Internet search away on a PC or a mobile device. Someone may enter “good clinic care nearby Boston MA” or “available clinic care San Diego CA” and find some local results. Clinics tend to have wide hours of operation, and at most times of day or night, a seeker may find at least one clinic that is currently open to provide clinic care. A walk in clinic offers all sorts of medical relief, and an emergency care room can take care of even more serious medical needs. What is the difference between urgent and emergency care? After all, they are distinct and should not be confused.

Emergency Care For You

Emergency care, put simply, handles the most serious and life-threatening injuries and conditions that a patient may suffer, and this emergency care is designed to get a patient stable and out of harm’s way. An emergency room in a hospital, for example, is staffed with doctors and physicians who have the medical training, expertise, and medicine to save a life. What might bring someone to the ER? For example, broken arms or legs may necessitate a visit to the ER, not to mention head or eye injuries. Major trauma such as bullet or stab wounds call for a visit to the ER, and certainly heavy bleeding or organ damage (such as a broken rib puncturing a lung). Serious chest pain or difficulty breathing may soon become life threatening, and someone suffering such a condition should be rushed to the ER right away.

It should be noted that not just any medical case calls for the ER, and as many as 44-65% of all American ER cases could have (and probably should have) been taken care of at an urgent care clinic instead. It is important for an ER to have enough room for patients who truly need it, so a patient with more minor medical needs may instead visit one of the many urgent care clinics found across the United States. What might this entail?

At A Walk In Clinic

Many thousands of walk in clinics can be found across the United States, and they tend to be independent facilities or part of small local networks with each other. These clinics are staffed with nurse practitioners and physicians who can handle a wide variety of minor health issues, and such clinics may have broad hours of operation to accept patients during the day or evening. If a clinic is running smoothly, it may see about three patients per hour, and a patient may expect a wait time close to 15 minutes before getting treatment there.

Some of these clinics are built into larger facilities, such as retailers or even hospitals. In the former case, a retail clinic is built into a large retailer such as Target or Walgreens, and this makes them easy to find and get parking for. In fact, many shoppers will visit these retailers and stop by the clinic’s pharmacy to pick up a prescription drug refill, which can be quite convenient. Patients may want to check the pharmacy’s exact hours of operation so that they can visit when necessary. Meanwhile, clinics in hospitals keep their staff and medical services distinct and separate from that of the hospital at large, something for patients to note.

Four out of five urgent care clinics can take care of bone fractures, and most of them can also handle ankle and wrist sprains, which are common today. Clinic staff may also provide bandages and stitches for shallow cuts, and they may offer medicine for relief against the common cold, flu, or stomach flu or even allergies. Lotions and ointments may be offered for skin rashes, too, and upper respiratory issues are another common reason to visit these clinics. Such clinics may also offer help for broken fingers or toes, and they tend to have pharmacies so patients may get prescription drug refills.