Americans young and old get hurt or ill sometimes, and everyday wounds or illness may call for urgent care at a medical care clinic or a walk in clinic. If someone gets a cut from a knife accident or sprains their ankle, for example, a nearby adult can look up a local urgent care center in their area. A person may use a smart phone or a PC to look for such a place, for example, and enter their area or ZIP code to find something nearby. A search such as “urgent care center Chicago IL” or “urgent care clinic Manhattan” can yield some nearby results. What is more, many of these clinics are open 24 hours a day for patients to visit at any time. Even if a clinic is not a 24/7 model, it may still have broad hours of operation for patients’ convenience, and these clinics can be found across the nation. These urgent care clinics are staffed with nurse practitioners and physicians who are always ready to help. What is there to know about urgent care today?
On Urgent Care Clinics
A patient may not have to look far to find an urgent health care clinic or a walk in clinic in their area. Thousands of these clinics are scattered across the United States, and most towns and cities should have at least a few locations in them. These clinics tend to be independent sites, or sometimes they form small local networks with each other. Other clinics may be found inside other facilities, however, and a patient may keep that in mind. For example, retail clinics are those that are built inside a larger retailer, such as Target, Walmart, or Walgreens. These clinics can easy to find and get parking spots for, since the host retailer is a large store that is designed to accommodate many shoppers. These clinics may have similar hours of operation as the retailer itself, but a patient or someone escorting the patient may want to double-check the exact hours. Other times, an urgent care clinic is located inside a larger hospital. American should note, however, that these clinics have a firm divide between the general hospital’s functions and the urgent care clinic, with little to no overlap in services. Someone looking for a urgent care center in particular can visit one in a hospital without getting involved with the hospital in general.
Patients can expect a staff of nurse practitioners and physicians on site to help them when they arrive in a walk in clinic, and these health professionals will be well equipped to help them. Often, if a clinic is running smoothly, the staff there will see about three patients per hour, and a patient may expect a wait time of around 15 minutes. Many of these clinics accept various health care insurance policies, too. What might be treated at these clinics?
Ailments and a Clinic
As mentioned earlier, everyday wounds or illnesses may bring a person to urgent care. This may involve a number of physical traumas, to start with. Four out of five such clinics can help a patient with bone fractures, and most clinics can also help a patient with ankle or wrist sprains. Nearly 25,000 Americans suffer from ankle sprains every day, often a result of mishaps while running or playing sports. These clinics may also offer aid for shallow cuts, and nurses can offer bandages and stitches to close those wounds. Broken fingers or toes might also be treated at these clinics.
Illnesses can be treated at these clinics as well. The common cold and flu are typical reasons to visit, and the staff at a walk in clinic may offer medicine for relief from symptoms. Rashes or allergies can also be treated, and ointments and lotions may be offered for skin issues. Upper respiratory issues are a common reason to visit these clinics. And it should also be noted that most walk in clinics, including retail clinics, will have pharmacies on hand. These clinics will have pharmacists on hand who can help patients refill their drug prescriptions when they visit. Retail clinics may be especially popular for this, and shoppers can pick up medicine while shopping in general.