Anyone in their everyday lives may sometimes get hurt, such as during sports or outdoor activities, or a person may catch a common illness or virus and end up bedridden for a few days. Sometimes, much more serious problems arise, such as a cardiac event, a broken arm, or a violent crime, and a person suffering life-threatening injuries will have to be rushed to the emergency room for emergency care. More often, though, everyday Americans will suffer illness or wounds that call for urgent care, and walk in health clinic may be found nearly anywhere in the United States, and a walk in health clinic may be just an Internet search away, such as “clinic care near me” or “urgent care Seattle” or the like. Knowing what sort of medical facility to visit when someone is hurt can make all the difference.

The Emergency Room

Hospitals are often the first thing most people will picture when they want health care, although hospitals and their emergency rooms are best used for life-threatening injuries rather than everyday wounds or illness. An emergency room is staffed with doctors and physicians who are trained to use all sorts of equipment and medicine for patients in dire need, and this sets them apart from other care clinics like a walk in health clinic. What sorts of problems are taken care of here? Serious injuries like a head wound, eye injuries, broken arms or legs, spinal injuries, stab wounds, bullet wounds, chest pain, and great difficulty breathing can all be taken care of here, and they are usually life-threatening injuries that a walk in health clinic or retail clinic cannot handle. However, it has been found that nearly 44% to 65% of ER episodes could have been handled at an urgent care clinic instead, and such patient are advised to find those clinics instead, since emergency rooms and their doctors are urgently needed for other patients.

A Walk In Health Clinic

Many thousands of walk in and urgent care clinics can be found across the United States, and they often have broad hours of operation, and many are open all seven days a week, although someone looking for a clinic will have to double check this. Such clinics cannot handle life threatening injuries or illness like a hospital can, but for patients with everyday ailments or wounds, this is the ideal place to visit. Nearly three million American patients visit them every year, statistics show, and if a clinic is running smoothly, the staff there may see about three patients per hour, and a customer may expect a wait time of about fifteen minutes. Nurse practitioners and physicians will be on staff to take care of patients’ needs, and they will have the equipment and medicine for the job.

What ailments can be taken care of at such a clinic? Non life-threatening wounds such as cuts (that will require stitches), broken fingers or toes, or skin problems like rashes or allergies can be taken care of here, and four out of five health care clinics will also take care of bone fractures, a common issue. A walk in health clinic will also help patients with sprained ankles or wrists, and statistics show that about 25,000 Americans suffer ankle sprains every day, such as from sports. The common cold and flu can be treated with medicine at a clinic too, especially in cases where the symptoms are slow to go away. Upper respiratory problems can also be taken care of here. Finally, a typical walk in health clinic can be expected to have a fully stocked pharmacy with trained pharmacists on hand, and these pharmacies can create or refill drug prescriptions as needed.

Some health care clinics are in fact retail clinics, and this means that they are built into major retailers like Target, Walgreens, and Wal-Mart, and these retailers are easy to find and have ample parking for their customers, making them convenient to locate and visit for anyone who needs urgent care. These retail clinics will also have pharmacies like most other health care clinics, and can refill prescription drugs. This makes them convenient for shoppers who need to refill a drug prescription while doing their errands.