| While most physicians are able to carry out routine | | | | without loss in time. One such institution that provides |
| diagnostic checks of patients and suggest suitable | | | | fellowship and residency training is the Urgent Care |
| treatments, there are times when either the | | | | Association of America. |
| unavailability of a physician or the lack of medical | | | | The basic difference between urgent care centers |
| infrastructural facilities requires a patient to seek instant | | | | and physicians? clinics is that the former do not |
| care elsewhere. If the problem is not so serious as to | | | | consider their patients as "long term" records or visitors |
| call for immediate hospitalization and intensive or | | | | because almost all of them are walk-in patients whose |
| advanced medical supervision, an urgent care clinic can | | | | need is for immediate care when their regular |
| be an effective option. Similar to a hospital but not as | | | | physicians are not accessible. The latter have to keep |
| comprehensive as to include all forms of treatment, | | | | medical records of their patients because it is possible |
| especially during moments requiring critical care, an | | | | that a patient may seek the advice and treatment of a |
| urgent care clinic is able to provide treatment, | | | | particular physician for the entire duration of his or her |
| especially at times when a physician's clinic is closed | | | | life. This is why the former have "episodic" patients |
| for the day. | | | | while the latter have "established" patients. Urgent care |
| An urgent care center or clinic is also useful when the | | | | is appropriate for injuries of a magnitude higher than |
| scope of treatment is outside a physician's normal | | | | generally seen in a primary care physician's office. For |
| procedure. For instance, a physician may not possess | | | | the public, urgent care acts as an "overflow outlet" |
| the required technical equipment to undertake X-ray | | | | when it's difficult or almost impossible to get an |
| procedures or blood tests while an urgent care clinic | | | | appointment at the local physician's clinic. |
| would be equipped to handle such tasks. Another | | | | Urgent care is advisable when a person experiences |
| advantage is that urgent care clinics almost always | | | | chest pain; severe abdominal pain; difficulty in breathing; |
| work around the clock, and it is a known fact that | | | | sudden dizziness; numbness in the face, arm or leg; |
| illnesses often come to the fore during the night hours. | | | | severe headache; deep cuts; bleeding that will not stop; |
| It follows then that the rise in demand for urgent care | | | | severe burns; and seizures at a time when a physician |
| clinics has subsequently led to a spurt in the need for | | | | is not available. However, many urgent care centers |
| specialized personnel who can man the varied duties | | | | also have Medicare facilities for minor injuries and |
| required in such clinics. Those who opt to work in | | | | illnesses such as sprains, broken bones, back problems, |
| urgent care centers have to be equipped with the | | | | cuts without profuse bleeding, earaches, severe sore |
| attitude and skills to perform jobs efficiently and | | | | throat or cough, urinary tract infections, etc. |