Did you know that there are nearly 6,800 urgent care walk in clinics in the U.S. today? Patients both young and old visit these clinics for a wide variety of ailments. Though you may be able to guess the most common reasons — nearly 7 million people in the U.S. break a bone every year, for example, and many of these individuals end up going to urgent care centers — here are 5 surprising services the majority of urgent care walk in clinics offer.
1. Get a Cotton Ball Stuck in Your Nose
It happens, especially with children — a cotton ball or lego becomes lodged in the nose or ear and can?t be retrieved. Your best bet, of course, is not to try and do this yourself (which can lodge objects further) — but there?s often no need to take this to the ER. Instead, check out your local urgent care doctor for removal help.
2. STD Testing
STD tests are incredibly important for having healthy relationships and not accidentally contracting or spreading diseases that can have potentially lifelong ramifications — especially if left untreated. You might be surprised to hear that many urgent care facilities offer STD tests for both men and women.
3. Pediatric Care
Need a check-up for your 6-year-old but the doctor?s waiting list is two months long for an appointment? Many urgent care centers offer pediatric care — essential for many parents who may rely on the convenient longer open hours that also accompany these centers.
4. Bee Sting
If you?ve had a particularly bad bee or wasp sting, an urgent care can come in handy for helping to remove the stinger or treat the painful aftermath. Just keep in mind that urgent cares are not intended to treat immediately life threatening problems — so if someone is going to anaphylactic shock from a sting, the right place to go for this is still the ER.
5. Immunizations
No need to schedule an appointment with your doctor — many urgent care centers will offer the shots that ward off illness, that you’ve been searching for (or more likely, required to obtain in order to work or attend school).
Have you ever been to an urgent care clinic to treat an unusual ailment or problem? Let us know.