Be careful with "Urgent Care" centers.

[gregxy]

We were new to town and didn't have Dr set up so we went to the "urgent care" center on the corner.

I don't think real Drs work in these places. I noticed the "Dr" disappears for a while in the middle of your
exam. I think the "Dr" is a nurse and is conferencing with a real Dr via computer.

Here is the experience we had:

My wife had a mild pain in her chest, (with all the markings of a sore muscle), but she is cautious so
we went to urgent care. The Dr ran an ECG and told her she "may have had a heart attack some time
in the past" and gives her a bunch of referral info for Drs in their system. We kept the ECG and checked
with a cardiologist. Wife is fine and the cardiologist could not see anything wrong in the ECG.
Guess the Dr at urgent care doesn't know how to read an ECG. I'll give them a pass on this since
its better to be careful.

In my case I went to the same urgent care with a very specific pain and slight fever. The Dr at urgent care
told me I probably had the flu and to go home. The next morning I was confused, sweating like crazy and
the pain was much worse. My wife took me to the ER, I had an abscess and was septic. They did surgery the
same day and I was in the hospital for 3 days. If I had listened to the Dr in urgent care I'd now be dead.
(Fortunately for me a relative had the same condition so I had an idea what it was).

[Bando]

OK thanks.

[vadimmoda]

Agreed. i got a full panel done last wednesday and i've yet to see the results. Going straight to actual doctor next time.

[F1exAppeal]

You go to urgent care to get stitches/a doctor's note/ or to get antibiotics when you don't want to drive/wait at the hospital. If I'm seriously sick or hurt I ain't going to urgent care, cuz even if they DID find anything, they're sending you to the hospital.