A walk in clinic is a medical facility where patients can quickly be seen for minor emergencies such as:

  • broken bones
  • cuts
  • vomiting/nausea
  • minor head trauma

You may be tempted to go to your nearest emergency room for an injury or illness, but if your case is not as severe as other patients' are, you will be left in the waiting room for hours until you can be seen. Furthermore, your emergency room visit is likely to be much more expensive than going to a walk in clinic, even if you have insurance.

Here are reasons to use a walk in clinic, and when you should go to the emergency room instead.

Fevers

If you or another family member has a fever that won't go down no matter how much pain reliever you use, go to your nearest walk in clinic right away. A fever can mean serious illness or infection, especially if you are experiencing aches and pains in other areas of your body or your throat or ears hurt as well.

Go to the emergency room if you are blacking out in addition to having a fever, feel very dehydrated, or you have a small child with a prolonged fever (a fever can cause severe dehydration or even minor seizures in children).

Concussion

A concussion is head trauma that can happen from a fall, accidental impact during a sport, or from another head injury. See your walk in clinic physician if you feel you have a concussion following a bump on the head or if you have nausea, headaches, blurry vision, or are feeling very tired.

Go to the emergency room if you have a concussion with a cut or other injury or if you are disoriented and keep blacking out. A concussion, left untreated, can be very dangerous.

Vomiting

You may be vomiting due to illness, food poisoning, or even stress. Go to your walk in clinic if your vomiting is non-stop, you have diarrhea with your vomiting, or if you feel dizzy and are unable to move along with your condition.

Go to the emergency room if you believe you are vomiting blood, you are losing ample amounts of weight, or if you pass out during vomiting. In some cases, your walk in clinic doctor will refer you to a traditional hospital for treatment, especially if you need further testing. Your condition can be treated at a walk in or urgent care medical treatment in most cases. For more information, contact a company like MED7 Urgent Care Center.

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