When to go to urgent care vs emergency room! 🚑🏥

[space_pollution]

My urgent care with my insurance now requires an appointment to see them. An appointment. For *urgent care.* I hate it here.

[BlackFlagHeathen]

I feel like whether you should go to urgent care or the ER for a burn depends on the severity of the burn.

[TheChibiGingi]

This is great advice... assuming you don't live in a place surrounded by Urgent Cares that either close at 6 or refuses to take ANYONE'S insurances... worked in an ER as a custodian and we were always swamped because of this crap.

[codycray]

Man I could walk in the ER with my legs gone and they would be like “okay, sign here and have a seat sir”

[brendah]

I had an ear infection and I went to an urgent care. My ear was so swollen that the drops couldn't go in. I went to the clinic because the pain was unbearable, and they sent me to the ER because they were worried that the infection had spread to my inner ear. So, in other words, you'll never really know where to go and for what. 😂

[mocowan]

There was a hospital in Texas that took out billboards advertising when you should to urgent care versus emergency room. “Stepped on a mousetrap - urgent care. Stepped on a bear trap - emergency room” was my favorite!

[thewaffleironn]

I feel like burn could go either way - minor burn, urgent care. Anything big or deep, ER.

[aNovice]

I took my infant son to a pediatric urgent care for swelling in his genitals. I even checked their policy and made a same day appointment. When I got there and checked in they said "we have a 2 hour wait for all appointments" WHAT?!?! Then after I got in to my appointment the doctor took one look and said "that's a hernia he needs immediate surgery" and rushed us to the ER where they actually did some imaging and said "not an emergency, follow up with a specialist".
Such a mess.

[xargos]

You know what would be better than having to decide? Having a healthcare system that actually works.

[slappy]

Urgent Care is for when you have minor problems that you want to have misdiagnosed or just completely ignored, and the emergency room is for when you have major problems that you want to have misdiagnosed or completely ignored.

[dawnt]

ER’s should be triaged and have a walk in clinic attached. They the non-life threatening stuff can go there.

[emmanuelgyamfi]

We need more of these!!!! CHEST PAIN IS

[hyqoljq]

On the energency status of UTIs: My 18 month old baby had high temperatures for about 10 days and we kept taking them to gp doctors at medical centres and kept getting dismissed as they kept diagnosing it as "probably just a cold". No tests or medication offered. Finally took them to the ER when no over the counter medication could bring the fever down anymore. They ran blood and urine tests. Turns out they had a septic level UTI that had been getting worse and worse. She was admitted to hospital and hooked up to IV medications for a week. Took ages to find an antibiotic that worked on the resistant infection and she could have died. Sometimes a UTI is a life threatening emergency after all.

[youngnurse]

I've only used urgent care once.
They took x-ray, gave me a tecnic shot and antibiotics.
No problems.
A friend of mines went to that same urgent care and after just looking at her for a few minutes, they called 911 !
She ended up in ICU for over a week in a coma, with a lot of other things going on .
Then in rehabs.
She is now home .
So, the Urgent Care in my area is on point!
👏👏👏👏👏👏
😇🙏

[CoperliteConsumer]

"is this bad enough that doctors/staff would skip you ahead of an 8 hour wait? Then it's emergency room"

[wendypatton]

As an RN, I have seen plenty of times where the patient does not know their diagnosis ( obviously) so they obviously can it make the decision between urgent care and ER. SURE, if you knew the diagnosis it would easy to make that call.

[beth]

To be fair - the burn one is going to depend on the severity of said burn.

[preppergmidatlantic]

Yeah....I went to urgent care because my primary was booked. I was diagnosed with a UTI. Several days later i went to the ER because the pain was excruciating and was told...No you don't have a UTI you have colon cancer and went immediately into surgery. My surgeon saved my life and i will never ever go to an urgent care again.

[JenniMeer]

In my area, the time dictates where you go. If it’s after 9 pm, you go to the ER or wait it out until 8 am.

[RitaDozier]

Do what you need to do especially if you don't have health insurance. If your only option is the ER please go. This can prevent future major medical problems.