The Internist Vs. The Emergency Room And The Winner Is

Where can one go without an appointment when they un-expectantly get hurt or fall ill? When one needs a doctor ASAP, there are only two choices. The first is the hospital emergency room where you will be herded into a large waiting room and told to wait until your name is called. If the emergency room receives patients deemed sicker than you will move down the list until you find that you have been waiting for five hours—or more. This is routine and anyone who has ever visited a hospital emergency room can attest to this.

The only other place that one can visit when they need a doctor out of the blue is a walk in clinic. These clinics have sprung up like wildflowers over the past decade to the point that now almost every decent neighborhood has one. Finding a professional walk in doctor is not difficult and the pros of visiting this type of facility—as opposed to a hospital emergency room—ridiculously outweigh the cons.

A walk in doctor is not different than any other doctor. They went to medical school for a many years and owe a ton of money in school loans. In other words: a regular run-of-the-mill doctor! A walk in doctor is trained in everything a hospital emergency room doctor is trained in, it’s just that you get to see them faster when you visit their walk in clinic.

A walk in doctor will see many patients suffering from a wide variety of ailments during a typical year. This is good, for it proves that the doctor in question has the varied experience that means a large array of knowledge regarding many different medical problems. A walk in clinic doctor will see sprained ankles in the spring and summer time and sinusitis and high fever in the fall and winter time—and everything in between.

When it comes to choosing between your local hospital emergency room or your friendly walk in clinic doctor, think about the experience as a whole. In other words, think about the entire experience and figure out which one makes more sense to you. At a walk in clinic the doctor will see you in less than a half hour (this is guaranteed at some walk in clinics.) In a hospital you literally can wait for five, six, seven or ten hours. It’s happened to many of us at one time or another.

In a walk in clinic, however, the doctor will see you ASAP and will not be rushed when he does. This is another negative when it comes to hospital emergency rooms: that is, that these doctors, however dedicated they are (or because they are so dedicated),will spend the minimal amount of time with you that they can get away with. Not because they do not care, but because of the entire nature of an emergency room. They are there to primarily help emergencies. And unfortunately for us, many times, a back ache, fever, stomach problems, headaches, etc, are just not considered an emergency.