If you do not have a primary care doctor, you may wonder where you can seek treatment if you become injured or seriously ill. You may not want to spend a significant amount of time or money being seen at your local emergency room. Emergency rooms can have a long wait time for patients and can also charge inflated rates for treatment.
Instead of putting off your care, however, you can get help at a medical center that treats walk-in patients. These are some urgent care services that you can receive from a non-appointment walk-in medical clinic.
Testing for Strep Throat
One of the most common treatments that you can get at a walk-in medical center is a test for strep throat. Strep throat is a common illness that can invite painful symptoms like a sore throat, throat swelling, and a painful rash. However, it is easy to treat with antibiotics.
To find out if you have strep throat, you must have your throat swabbed first. The medical clinic that you go to can swab your throat and run the sample through a rapid strep test. This test will then indicate if you have strep bacteria growing in your throat.
If you test positive for strep throat, you will be given a prescription for an antibiotic. You can expect to recover without needing any further medical treatment.
Sprains
A medical center that sees walk-in patients can also render treatment for minor injuries like a sprain. If you have sprained your ankle, wrist, or knee, for example, you do not need to go to the emergency room for an x-ray. The medical clinic that you go to can x-ray your injury to make sure it is not broken. The doctor can then wrap your sprain to immobilize it and help provide relief from the pain.
A medical clinic spares you from having to wait for hours at the ER to get treatment for your sprain. You also may be able to follow up on your treatment at the same clinic to ensure that your sprain heals completely.
These are some treatments that a walk-in medical center makes available to patients. A medical clinic that treats patients on a walk-in basis can typically treat minor illnesses like strep throat. They can also provide services like x-rays and treat minor injuries like sprained limbs and joints, as well as offer follow-up services. Contact a medical clinic for more information.
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