The better half of us have suffered a sudden medical emergency without warning. Maybe you jam your finger in the car door or perhaps become overwhelmed by nausea after a meal. Many times, these incidences occur at hours when your primary care doctor’s office is not open, making awareness of the emergency room and urgent care centers even more vital. Their services often become muddled up, but knowing the difference between them is crucial to staying safe. How do we know which of these facilities to go to at these times?
The Emergency Room:
If your condition requires an on-the-spot treatment or surgery, you will need to take a trip to the emergency room, which is excellent for any crisis that needs to be taken care of in a hospital setting. Examples of emergency room treatments include broken bones, critical wounds, difficulty breathing, or feelings of faintness.
Advance ER is a renowned emergency room in the corridor. Unlike other emergency rooms, Advance ER is freestanding, which is “a facility that stands alone and is not attached to a hospital.” Perks of this include decreasing the drive to and wait time in emergency care, and providing high quality, individualized services at a rapid rate.” At Advance ER, you will visit with board-certified physicians, physician’s assistants, and certified nurse practitioners. Their physicians treat a variety of conditions, ranging from routine to emergency.
Urgent Care:
Urgent care is essentially a walk-in extension of your primary care doctor. Like the emergency room, urgent care can handle a plethora of pressing issues, but not something you may need surgery for, as urgent care often provides prescriptions to mend their patients’ medical needs. Reasons you may visit urgent care include flu-like symptoms, a sore throat, ear pain, or a rash.
Visit Baylor Scott & White Plano’s urgent care clinic for your acute medical needs. In addition to typical urgent care clinics, Baylor Scott & White provides X-rays, camp, school and sports physicals, flu shots, immunizations and vaccinations, and COVID-19 testing. Since most urgent care needs are not life-threatening, Baylor Scott & White additionally provides eVisits from the convenience of your home. To conduct an eVisit appointment, you can complete a short assessment with symptoms and receive a response and prescription when necessary from a Baylor Scott & White health provider within an hour.