Urgent Care Specialists

What is Urgent Care?

Urgent care is slightly more involved than primary care and not as extreme as emergency care. An urgent care facility is open longer than a conventional primary care provider and handles more cases that are more serious than what a family practitioner might cover. An urgent care facility may be able to handle harder cases, but those that involve life or death or any kind of physical trauma should be immediately transported to the nearest emergency room. Urgent care is extremely beneficial for injuries that must be seen immediately but do not require a trauma team or the intensity of an emergency room visit.

When is an Emergency Room Necessary?

An urgent care facility is more than capable of handling many types of emergency situations. However, when the wounds go from severe to traumatic, the services of an emergency room team will be required. Emergency rooms have the equipment that is needed in life or death situations. Emergency room physicians are highly skilled in handling traumatic wounds and health conditions that have a devastating impact on a person's health. While urgent care may be able to help in severe situations, they may not have certain pieces of equipment that are needed to save a person's life.

What are the Benefits of Urgent Care?

The benefits of urgent care are very well known. An urgent care facility provides fast and effective treatment for a variety of health conditions and injuries. Most offices that offer urgent care have extended hours to accommodate the overflow from conventional offices. The extended hours eliminates the need for a patient to go to the emergency room. Emergency rooms are often overcrowded and those who need help but do not have a life-threatening illness, are forced to wait several hours before they can be seen. With an urgent care facility, patients are treated on a first come, first served basis that allows for a much quicker turnaround and shorter wait time.