When you need medical care and your regular doctor is closed, urgent care is the best alternative. An ear infection, dog bite, or fall that leads to a sprained wrist isn’t guaranteed to happen during normal hours. You shouldn’t have to wait days until your doctor’s office is open again.
Urgent care offices have weekend hours. They’re also open after traditional work hours, which is far more convenient. Because of this, they can be incredibly busy. Knowing what to expect is just as important as knowing what to do when you arrive and meet with a doctor.
They can be busy offices and there may only be a couple of doctors available. If you have 50 people all wanting to see a doctor, that doctor knows that visits cannot drag on. The doctor has to expedite care. Don’t expect to have hours to spend with the doctor.
Urgent care is designed to be convenient and quick. Before you arrive, there are things you should know and steps to take to ensure your visit goes smoothly. Use this list as a guideline to get you started.
Write Out Your Medical History
A doctor only has a limited time to get to know you. Make sure you’re honest and have included everything of importance regarding your medical history. The more your doctor knows, the easier it is for a doctor to offer a diagnosis and come up with a treatment plan that works for you.
You need to consider everything. If you’re allergic or suspect you’re allergic to latex, tell your doctor. If you have anxiety attacks when getting vaccinations or blood draws, make sure the medical team knows. They have experienced these situations before and know what to do, but they need to know about it in order to offer the best possible care.
An urgent care doctor needs to know if you have any chronic health conditions. Also, have you been pregnant? Have you had more than three pregnancy losses? Is there a history of addiction or mental health issues? Do you smoke or have you in the past? Do you have a strong support system at home if you shouldn’t be alone while you recover from an illness or injury?
Know Your Family’s Medical History
If possible, also have critical details about your family’s medical history. For example, your mom and dad both had high blood pressure. That’s important for a doctor to know. If your blood pressure is higher than it should be, it’s something a doctor might want to watch closely. You may be instructed to check your blood pressure at home where you’re not as stressed.
Ideally, it’s helpful if you can go back a couple of generations to your grandparents. You don’t need a ton of details, but it’s helpful if you can share any major health issues like COPD, diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, or genetic conditions. Try to have answers for the following.
- How old were your parents or grandparents when they died?
- What caused their death?
- What were their ethnicities?
- Did they have any chronic health conditions?
- Is there a family history of addiction or mental health issues?
Have Details on Any Vitamins, Supplements, or Prescription Medications Used
Prescription medications can be less effective if you take them with an herbal supplement. St. John’s wort is a popular herb for people looking to treat mild depression. The herb can make birth control pills less effective.
St. John’s wort, turmeric, and some over-the-counter pain medications interact with prescription medications for heart disease. Doctors need to know everything you take regularly or on occasion. It’s critical information for them when deciding what medication to prescribe.
Honesty Is Important
Your ethnic background matters. Some health conditions are more prevalent in specific ethnic groups. For example, sickle cell anemia is more common in Black people. Hispanic women are more likely to have diabetes. Women of Celtic or Scandinavian descent are more likely to have the skin condition known as rosacea.
It’s important to be completely honest. If you are given an instruction that you feel is going to be impossible to complete, speak up. Should the doctor tell you something you don’t understand, ask for clarification. You need to be honest, even if you feel it’s going to come off as stupid or rude.
You don’t want to leave and feel uncertain or uncomfortable with what you’ve been told. Ask for a printout if you feel you could forget what you’ve been told. An urgent care clinic can print out instructions. Don’t feel embarrassed if you need them.
Save Time and Complete Patient Forms in Advance
Many urgent care practices provide printable online forms. Print them out before you leave home. You’ll have the paperwork completed, which saves time. These forms often have two or three pages, so it takes time. Questions include:
- Name and contact information
- Insurance information and information on the insurance holder if it’s a spouse, partner, or parent
- Preferred pharmacy
- Race, gender, preferred language
- Emergency contact information
- The reason for your visit
- Important health history
- Contact information for your primary care physician, if applicable
- HIPAA/patient privacy acknowledgment
- Consent for treatment
- Signature and date
Having the forms filled out correctly and in advance of your arrival makes it easier to register when you arrive. You’ve done your part, and the person at registration can work on entering your information while you wait for the doctor to see you.
Look Up Directions in Advance
Know where you’re going. Your phone’s GPS provides the directions, but it’s not a perfect system. Look up the location and check for construction or traffic alerts that might impact your route. Know where there is parking and how many spaces are available. If the lot is packed, would you need to pay for street parking, or are there spillover lots nearby?
Check-In Online for Faster Service
Our final tip is to check in online. Premium Urgent Care offers online check-in. Get on the list before you leave your house. While you drive, you’re climbing the list to see a doctor. By the time you arrive, you may not have any wait.
With multiple locations in Fresno and nearby communities, it’s convenient and easy to be seen by a doctor. Only go to the hospital ER for serious issues like severe chest pain. For less severe issues, urgent care doctors are ready to help you feel better.