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