Should I Go to Urgent Care or an Emergency Room?

When to go to an emergency room

If you have a life threatening injury, illness, or trauma, call 911. Reaction time is critical for seizures, strokes, and heart attacks.

Our emergency rooms are staffed 24/7 with physicians and health care professionals trained in delivering emergency care. The team has quick access to expert providers in advanced specialties. Emergency rooms also have the imaging and laboratory resources needed to diagnose and deliver care for severe and life-threatening situations.

Go to the emergency room if you are experiencing:

• Chest pain or pressure
• Compound fracture (bone that protrudes through the skin)
• Head injuries
• Pneumonia
• Seizures
• Severe abdominal pain
• Shortness of breath
• Sudden, severe headache, or paralysis or weakness
• Sudden change in vision
• Trouble speaking
• Loss of limb
• Gun shot
• Stab wound
• Uncontrolled bleeding

When to go to an urgent care clinic

Urgent care clinics have set hours and an established list of conditions treated. As a result, urgent care clinics often are less expensive and have shorter wait times than Emergency Rooms. Insurance copays are generally more expensive than going to your primary care provider.

If your care needs are greater than what an urgent care center provides, they will refer you to an emergency room.

Go to an urgent care clinic if you are experiencing:

• Back or muscle pain
• Bronchitis
• Cuts and minor burns
• Diarrhea
• Earache
• Flu shots or vaccines
• Fever, colds and flu
• Headaches and migraines
• Infections
• Sores and blisters
• Minor broken bones
• Dehydration
• Skin conditions
• Sprains or joint pain
• Upper respiratory infection
• Urinary tract infections
• Worker's comp injuries

You can also have physicals and screenings done at urgent care clinics.

When to go to after-hours primary care

After-hours care provides general primary and specialty care during evenings and weekends.