Urgent Care Conditions: When You Need Quick and Expert Treatment

image of stethoscope and pills

If you happen to experience an unexpected illness or injury, you can receive quick, resourceful treatment by visiting an urgent care center, such as River’s Edge Hospital’s Urgent Care Department. While more serious conditions, such as a heart attack and broken bones, should be treated in the emergency room, providers at the urgent care clinic can diagnose and treat a wide range of urgent care conditions. They can also refer you to a specialist if your illness or injury needs follow-up care.

The purpose of urgent care is to offer you quick but excellent treatment at a lower cost. If you’re in a lot of pain and require immediate relief, you might not be able to wait for an appointment with a primary care physician.

Common Conditions Treated at Urgent Care

Urgent care providers can treat most mild to moderate illnesses and injuries, but what separates urgent care from primary care is continuity. If your condition requires additional treatment, a primary care provider will coordinate your future care by referring you to specialists as needed. An urgent care provider, on the other hand, may refer you to a specialist and will not continue to be involved in your care. While urgent care is often the best option for quick medical attention, your primary care provider is your best choice for ongoing care.

Common conditions treated at urgent care include:

  • Allergic reaction. You can get moderate allergic reactions treated at an urgent care clinic, but you should go to the ER if your symptoms are life-threatening.
  • Minor respiratory Infections and Illnesses. These include cold, bronchitis, the flu and other common illnesses.
  • Sore throat. You can get a strep test and treatment at urgent care.
  • Pink eye. Causing symptoms of itchiness and discomfort, pink eye is a highly contagious eye infection. Pink eye will often go away on its own, but severe pink eye can be treated in urgent care.
  • Ear infection. Most commonly observed in children, this type of infection often causes drainage from the ear and fever.

What About Skin Conditions?

At most urgent care facilities, you can get treated for moderate skin conditions. Most of the time, skin conditions are not life-threatening and should not require a trip to the emergency room. Keep in mind, however, that urgent care providers may not be able to provide as much expertise as a specialist. If you are very concerned about a mole or rash, consider consulting your primary care provider and possibly a dermatologist.

Urgent care physicians are equipped to care for:

  • Canker sores
  • Hives
  • Eczema
  • Impetigo
  • Shingles
  • Warts
  • Other skin infections

When to Visit Urgent Care Instead of Primary Care

You may at times struggle to decide whether you should visit an urgent care clinic or your primary care provider. The most important factors to consider when making this choice are cost and the seriousness of your condition. If you are suffering with an ailment and need relief as soon as possible, urgent care might be the best choice. Nevertheless, do not downplay your symptoms if they persist or grow more intense. Contact your primary care provider or go to the emergency room if necessary.

Don’t wait until your symptoms worsen to reach out for medical care. River’s Edge Hospital’s Urgent Care Department, located at the main entrance of the hospital, is open Monday–Friday from noon to 7:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. You can walk in to receive care; no appointment is necessary.

Featured Services

  • person receiving physical therapy

    Physical and Occupational Therapy >

    Our physical therapists are trained to effectively rehabilitate a variety of conditions and will work with you to assess your needs and design a treatment plan to meet your therapy goals.

  • orthopedics

    OrthoEdge >

    The OrthoEdge Joint Replacement Program includes the involvement of your entire care team to help you through the joint replacement process and return you to an active lifestyle as quickly as possible.

  • doctor looking into patients throat

    Emergency Room >

    Emergency Room River’s Edge Hospital Emergency Department is a Level IV Trauma Center that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.