Is Urgent Care the Same as a Walk-in Clinic?

When you need to see a doctor quickly, your family doctor is unavailable, and you don’t have an appointment, a walk-in clinic is usually your next step. Walk-in clinics are a fast, affordable way of getting medical care for non-emergency issues like sore throats, earaches, skin irritations, and potential infections. Walk-in clinics typically have a first-come, first-served policy. 

Walk-in clinics and urgent care are both places to go when you need immediate medical attention and are unable to get an appointment with your family doctor. A walk-in clinic is a place to go for quick, affordable healthcare in non-emergency situations, like skin irritations, fevers, and sore throats. Urgent care clinic requires a doctor on-hand at all times, while walk-in clinics do not. Urgent care clinics also typically have access to more equipment that allows them to treat fairly serious medical requirements, so you should opt for an urgent care clinic if you think you might need an x-ray, stitches, or to see a specialist.

Urgent care clinics offer many different medical services without the need for an appointment. These services include treating the symptoms of the common cold or flu, treating earaches and abdominal pain, and injuries like cuts and scrapes. Unlike walk-in clinics, urgent care centers have the capacity to perform x-rays and stitches, so if you have a major cut or suspect a broken bone, an urgent care clinic is the place to go.

In most cases, yes, but just because you have the option of walking into an urgent care center with no prior notice, that doesn’t mean it’s the right way to approach the situation. Most urgent care centers do allow walk-ins, meaning you will be able to use this facility to consult with a healthcare worker without making an appointment. Many urgent care centers are walk-in only, meaning you do not have the option to make an appointment. However, this is not the case for all centers. Call the urgent care center near you to find out if they take appointments and make one if you can – it will save you time and help the team prepare for your arrival. Some urgent care centers that don’t take appointments do have a system that allows you to check in online before you arrive in person. This is a great option that will help you see a professional faster and regulate traffic at the center. Walk-in clinics and urgent care clinics are both excellent alternatives to the emergency room in situations where you need medical attention but it’s not an emergency. These are places you can go for treatments of minor illnesses or injuries when your family doctor is not available. However, walk-in clinics and urgent care centers are not the same thing. It’s important to know the difference so, if the time comes that you need medical help, you have the information you need to make the choice that’s right for you. If you need immediate medical care, contact the team at Restore Health Urgent Care in Palm Bay, Florida. We welcome walk-ins. For more information, contact us today or visit us online to book an appointment. We are conveniently located at 1840 Eldron Blvd SE. Suite 1 Palm Bay, FL 32909. We serve patients from Palm Bay FL, Malabar FL, Mintons Corner FL, West Melbourne, FL, June Park FL, Melbourne Village, FL, and surrounding areas.