Children under the age of 18 need medical care like any adult will, and parents may take their children to a private pediatrician’s office if they can visit during office hours. However, sometimes children become ill or wounded during other times when they can’t easily visit their regular pediatrician, so a pediatric urgent care clinic may be the better option. A pediatric urgent care clinic is available for patients at any time of day, and a childrens walk in clinic is much more convenient than simply visiting a 24 hour emergency care facility. In fact, a visit to a pediatric urgent care clinic may be much more money and time efficient than going to the ER, and parents may find a pediatric urgent care clinic online if they don’t already know one. When is it time for a pediatric urgent care clinic, and what about regular pediatricians?
Finding a Pediatric Urgent Care Clinic
Whether for a child or an adult, an urgent care clinic is a medical facility that may be visited for treatment of non life-threatening medical problems. Pediatrics, meanwhile, is the medicinal field of children’s health, and a pediatrician will expertly understand the anatomy of children and babies and their typical health needs. If a child is hurt or ill, but their safety and life are not in danger, parents may look for a pediatric urgent care clinic near them and take their child there for treatment. Parents may enter a search phrase online such as “pediatric urgent clinic” and include their ZIP code or the name of their city or town to refine the search. The parents may also specify that they are looking for a 24 hour clinic if they need to visit one at an odd time of day, such as 2:00 AM.
Dire medical emergencies really do call for the emergency room, but many parents in fact take their children to the ER when in fact a pediatric urgent care clinic would be more appropriate. It may also be noted that a pediatric urgent care clinic involves less expense and shorter wait times (and stress) than visiting the ER. That, and it’s impractical for a child to take up space in the ER when another patient actually does need it. Many child and adult patients at emergency rooms across the United States could have and should have visited a clinic instead.
Children may be taken to a clinic for a variety of non life-threatening medical problems, ranging from ear aches and infections (common among kids), to strep or sore throats to sports injuries such as sprained ankles or wrists. A child may be taken to a pediatric urgent care clinic if they are suffering from asthma or allergies, and a child suffering from a cold or flu may also be taken to such a clinic for medicinal relief. And unlike at a general-purpose ER, the staff at a pediatric urgent care clinic will include pediatricians who specialize in the medical care of children. This may be a relief for parents, knowing that their child is in expert hands. A diagnosis and treatment may soon follow.
Other Pediatricians
Barring the sudden need for urgent care, parents may also find a dedicated, private pediatric practice in their area. Parents can and should regularly take their baby or child to a pediatrician’s office for checkups on that child’s health and growth, and parents may conduct a search when they move to a new area or when their child first becomes old enough for this. Parents may look online and find a whole list of pediatric offices, and visit them one by one to evaluate them in person. This includes consulting the staff there and checking that their health insurance policy for their child is accepted there. The child may come among and get their own impression of the doctor’s office, and that office may be a good candidate if the child feels comfortable there and gets along with the staff.
At such practices, a pediatrician will have detailed files on a given patient’s records and health, and these experts may diagnose not only physical problems or illnesses but also mental problems or disorders ranging from anxiety and depression to ADHD, Down Syndrome, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).