When you’re sick or injured, should you head to the emergency room, schedule an appointment with your doctor or visit urgent care? You can receive prompt medical attention at urgent care without having to wait for a doctor’s appointment or spend hours waiting in the emergency room if you have common conditions that are not considered a medical emergency.

Reasons to Visit Urgent Care

As long as your condition is not severe enough for a trip to the emergency room, you can receive the treatment you need at urgent care. This prevents you from having to wait until your doctor is available during regular business hours. You also don’t have to wait for several hours or more in an emergency room while other patients with more serious conditions are being treated. 

Common Conditions Treated at Urgent Care

At PrimeCare Urgent Care, we treat a wide range of medical conditions that are not medical emergencies. These include the following:

• Injuries: Common injuries we treat include sprains and strains, simple fractures and dislocations, minor burns, minor lacerations, and injuries from automobile accidents. We also treat work-related injuries.
• Illnesses: Common illnesses we treat include cough, cold and flu cases, asthma, bronchitis, ear infections or swimmer’s ear, sore throat due to strep, mono or another infection, rashes and skin infections. Other illnesses we treat include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, bladder infections and urinary tract infections, vaginal infections and sexually transmitted diseases. We also treat work-related illnesses. 

Additional Services at Urgent Care

Injuries and illnesses aren’t the only reasons to seek medical attention at urgent care. We also offer several other services, including the following:

• Physicals for camp or sports
• Physicals for employment or DOT 
• Flu vaccines
• Tetanus boosters and tuberculosis skin tests
• Laboratory services
• Pre-employment drug screenings

Medical Emergencies

If you or a loved one have an illness or injury that is considered serious or life-threatening, you should go to your nearest emergency room rather than urgent care. For example, a severe head injury, stroke or heart attack are conditions that require immediate medical care at the emergency room. You can visit an urgent care for treatment if your illness or injury isn’t serious enough to be an emergency but also can’t wait until the following business day for medical attention. For example, if you have symptoms of strep throat or a UTI, urgent care can diagnose your condition and get you started on antibiotics right away to prevent complications.

Benefits of Visiting Urgent Care

Urgent care helps ensure that you receive timely care for illnesses and injuries that aren’t life-threatening. Going to urgent care offers convenience with evening hours and weekend hours, so that you don’t need to wait for normal office hours to see your doctor. You can also be seen much more quickly than you would at an emergency room. 

If you have a medical problem that is not an emergency, please visit PrimeCare Urgent Care for treatment.