Urgent care centers are convenient since they offer services quicker than most emergency rooms. Urgent care treatment sees to it that you receive services quickly without necessarily having an appointment. A medical care walk in clinic will still provide the same care you would have gotten from the hospital but probably at a lower price. Also, considering that you do not need an appointment, it makes it very convenient. It is hard to tell when you will need medical care. However, when that happens, you can do a quick search of ‘medical close to me’ and get help. Please do not ignore the problem and hope it goes away; the problem could be serious or escalate.

Urgent care capabilities include allergic reactions, sprains, broken bones, colds, flu, and minor cuts. An emergency room and urgent care center differ in that certain serious situations will require an ER. If you experience severe burns and cuts, seizures, stroke symptoms like body weakness and slurred speech, and vaginal bleeding if you are pregnant, then you need an emergency room. An urgent care provider will always refer you to an emergency room if they see that you require advanced help.

American urgent care facilities gained traction in the 1970’s. Today, a typical urgent care location or walk in clinic in America could have as many as 400 visitors on a weekly basis.It’s that time of year–if you haven’t gotten a flu shot, now may be the time. But what if you do not have an appointment with your primary physician scheduled for a while? After hours urgent care facilities may be the best places to seek attention. For that matter, an urgent care facility may be best if there is any other kind of non-critical medical situation that requires immediate attention as well, such as a sprain, minor burn, or even an upper respiratory infection (the most ubiquitous condition diagnosed at American urgent care facilities in the year 2012).

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But why might an urgent care facility be preferable, as opposed to an emergency room? The Urgent Care Association of America reports that nearly 70% of these locations feature a typical wait time of less than 20 minutes. Furthermore, there are many 24 hr urgent care facilities in cases where the patients cannot make it to their doctors’ offices during regular business hours.

If you have additional questions, comments, or suggestions regarding flu shots and other treatments at urgent care locations, don’t hesitate to share them in the forum below. More like this article.