Reasons to Visit an Emergency Room Instead of Urgent Care Clinic : Experienced doctors
In many emergency rooms, doctors are more experienced and trained in treating a wider variety of health problems than those working at urgent care clinics. Some hospitals have staff members who can treat everything from broken bones to snake bites. If you go to a 24-hour urgent care clinic, you’ll likely see a doctor who treats most illnesses that walk through their doors, but if you show up during off hours or on a weekend when staffing is limited, you may not get the same level of expertise. Moreover, some states require licensure for urgent care doctors but not for those at emergency rooms. So it’s often better to be seen by someone with more experience at one type of facility than another.
In many emergency rooms, doctors are more experienced and trained in treating a wider variety of health problems than those working at urgent care clinics. Some hospitals have staff members who can treat everything from broken bones to snake bites. If you go to a 24-hour urgent care clinic, you’ll likely see a doctor who treats most illnesses that walk through their doors, but if you show up during off hours or on a weekend when staffing is limited, you may not get the same level of expertise. Moreover, some states require licensure for urgent care doctors but not for those at emergency rooms. So it’s often better to be seen by someone with more experience at one type of facility than another. Many urgent care clinics say they offer extended hours, including weekend appointments. But if you really need help after business hours or on Saturday or Sunday, your best bet is usually going to an emergency room rather than trying your luck at an urgent care center. An ER will tend to have more overnight workers available and its doctors will generally have training covering all sorts of common medical issues, while a typical late-night doctor’s office will probably only keep one person on duty (possibly a student) and sometimes close early just because there aren’t enough people coming in for treatment.
In many emergency rooms, doctors are more experienced and trained in treating a wider variety of health problems than those working at urgent care clinics. Some hospitals have staff members who can treat everything from broken bones to snake bites. If you go to a 24-hour urgent care clinic, you’ll likely see a doctor who treats most illnesses that walk through their doors, but if you show up during off hours or on a weekend when staffing is limited, you may not get the same level of expertise. Moreover, some states require licensure for urgent care doctors but not for those at emergency rooms. So it’s often better to be seen by someone with more experience at one type of facility than another. Many urgent care clinics say they offer extended hours, including weekend appointments. But if you really need help after business hours or on Saturday or Sunday, your best bet is usually going to an emergency room rather than trying your luck at an urgent care center. An ER will tend to have more overnight workers available and its doctors will generally have training covering all sorts of common medical issues, while a typical late-night doctor’s office will probably only keep one person on duty (possibly a student) and sometimes close early just because there aren’t enough people coming in for treatment. While 24-hour urgent care centers definitely exist, most don’t promise full coverage throughout every day and night, especially weekends. And even if a particular center does have on-call doctors to fill shifts outside regular hours, it’s unlikely you’ll find them at their primary location because laws about patient safety mean that physicians must spend most nights sleeping instead of being behind an examination table. The number of employees: You might end up waiting much longer in an urgent care clinic—not because of long wait times for actual service but due to long wait times for waiting rooms before you’re even allowed into one of these crowded centers! With fewer employees doing more work per hour, nursing home personnel numbers often dip below ideal levels during weekday nights and weekends—even leading up to holidays like Christmas.
