Why You Should Skip the Emergency Room and Check Out a 24 Hour Pediatric Urgent Care Instead

When your child is sick or has a minor injury it can feel like the end of the world. You want to get your child back to being healthy as quickly as possible but you also don’t want to expose them to other sicknesses or have to wait for hours in an emergency room. Luckily a trip to a 24 hour pediatric urgent care clinic can give your child exactly what they need to feel better in half of the time.

One of the best things about urgent care clinics is how accessible they are. There are thousands of urgent care centers across the United States and eighty-five percent of those clinics are open seven days a week. It’s releiving to know that you can visit a 24 hour pediatric urgent care and not have to wait overnight to get the help they need from your pediatric doctor. It also makes it easier for you to get the care your child needs after school or work so you don’t have to make visiting the doctor an entire day trip. 24 hour pediatric urgent care clinics are also a great place to go if you cannot get to your regular doctor because you are on vacation or out of town.

Oftentimes, you can see a doctor within an hour at an urgent care clinic. These doctors will treat anything from pediatrics, physicals, fracture and minor wound care, to common illnesses like the flu and strep throat. At 24 hour pediatric urgent care clinics, the pediatricians are highly trained and specialized to treat your child at any age or stage in development.

While there are many medical situations that an urgent care clinic can treat, it is important to know when you should seek medical attention at an emergency room instead. The most important thing to remember when trying to decide which place to go is whether or not the situation is life-threatening or not. There are some emergencies that should be treated within the first 24 hours, such as a cut that needs stitches, but if the emergency is severe, such as a compound fracture when the bone is protruding from the skin, it is important to go to the emergency room immediately.

Other instances an emergency room is the better choice are cases of seizures, poisoning, serious head neck or back injury, severe abdominal pain, and difficulty breathing.

Proper and professional care will always be provided at any 24 hour pediatric urgent care you visit in the same way that you would experience at an emergency room or at your regular pediatrician. Going to an urgent care clinic to help a non life-threatening situation can save you time and have your little one feeling better faster.