When it comes time to receive medical services, it can end up feeling like a chore: Scheduling doctors appointments can be a hassle; visiting the emergency room can be both incredibly time consuming and expensive. However, you might not know that there is an option besides visiting your primary doctor or the emergency room. Urgent care, a clinic that allows for treatment through walk ins, is a service that can provide near immediate treatment with a physician — the wait time for average walk ins is approximately 15 minutes. With 85% of urgent care locations being open seven days a week, you can effectively receive treatment as needed (emergency or not).

Should I Go to Urgent Care?

If you are having trouble scheduling an appointment with your primary care physician, do not wish to deal with the long waits and extravagant bills that come with the emergency room, and wish to receive quick and thorough treatment, it is worth your time considering urgent care. Through walk ins at an urgent care location, you can effectively receive treatment for minor fractures, minor burns, the flu, poison ivy, and more.

Physical Injury and/or Minor Fracture

Approximately 6 million Americans break a single bone each year. For minor fractures, you can receive treatment through walk ins at an urgent care clinic. 80% of urgent care locations have x-ray services, thus allowing for you to receive a proper diagnosis regarding your physical injury. Similarly, you can receive other treatment for other injuries — twisted ankle, minor burns, lacerations, and more. These locations can help you with basic injuries, from stitching to splinting, from bandaging to casting.

Flu Symptoms or Cold

There are approximately one billion cases of the common cold in the U.S. every single year. Likewise, this winter has seen one of the worst outbreaks of the flu in recent years, so ensuring you are receiving proper treatment is necessary. By visiting your local urgent care and setting up an appointment through walk ins, you can receive a diagnosis as to what is causing your illness and how it might be treated. Sore throat, migraine symptoms, night sweats, achy chest and consistent coughing, the physicians on-hand will be able to aid in treating your symptoms and getting you back to health.

Check-Ups

Along with all of the other services provided by urgent care clinics, they similarly provide the basic services that you’d receive from your primary doctor. These can include yearly physicals, basic lab services and blood testing, as well as receiving the flu shot in preparation for flu season.