Peace of Mind for Parents: Understanding Pediatric Urgent Care

It’s scary when your child is suddenly lethargic and coughing — or when a fun bike ride turns into a situation band-aids can’t fix. Knowing you have a pediatric urgent care clinic nearby makes those situations much more manageable.

Pediatric urgent care clinics can’t do everything, but they can do a lot. Scoping yours out before the next minor emergency inevitably crops up (kids will be kids, after all!) gives you another notch on your “Super Parent Belt.”

What Is Pediatric Urgent Care, and When Is It the Best Option?

Pediatric urgent care is there to treat your child when you’re facing a minor medical emergency — something between “my child is a picky eater” (ask your child’s primary pediatrician!) and a situation that warrants calling 911. Pediatric urgent care clinics see cases that need attention as quickly as possible, but are still more or less routine to doctors. They’re staffed by pediatricians and pediatric nurses who know exactly what to do.

A pediatric urgent care clinic can help you when your child suddenly starts feeling sick, after a minor injury, and with sticky health situations that call for immediate help. They’ll have rapid flu tests, can do X-rays, and can take care of some lab work, too.

If you have one available, it’s often best to head straight there (or call ahead) when your child:

Gets sick, and you’re worried — coughing that doesn’t stop, vomiting, tummy ache, high fever, persistent headache, or pink eye.
Sustains an injury that needs treatment — a broken bone, burn, sprain, scrape, cut, or impact that caused serious swelling.
Or something else — perhaps a splinter, bug bite, allergic reaction, sudden skin rash, or diaper rash.

Pediatric urgent cares are set up to handle all of these, from birth right up until the age of 18. That means you don’t have to decide between going to the ER and (if you’re not sure how serious the medical issue is) waiting until your regular pediatrician is available.

The Difference Between Pediatric Urgent Care and the ER or Your Regular Pediatrician

Emergency Rooms have one main purpose — to treat people with potentially life-threatening emergencies. Always take your child to the ER with unexplained difficulty breathing, uncontrolled bleeding, an asthma attack, a severe injury, and other medical emergencies that simply can’t wait.

The ER is unlikely to turn you down if you take your child there with a non-life-threatening emergency, but you will almost certainly have to wait much longer than you would at pediatric urgent care clinics. Emergency Rooms see the patients who need help right now first.

Primary care pediatricians mainly see patients for routine visits. They’re where your child gets regular checkups, vaccinations, and where you discuss general worries or plan for the ongoing management of chronic conditions. Your pediatrician may be able to slide your child into an already-busy schedule for an urgent appointment — but not always. Urgent care is there when you need it.

General urgent care clinics do treat pediatric patients, too, so that’s another option you have. Pediatric urgent cares are, on the other hand, especially set up for children — with the expertise and equipment that comes with that.

How Your Pediatric Urgent Care Visit Will Work

Pediatric urgent care clinics see walk-in patients, but you can also usually either call in by phone ahead of time or check in online. Know where your nearest clinic is, when it’s open, and what its procedures are — and if you’re in a hurry, at least bring your insurance documents if at all possible. (They’ll still still treat your child if you’re not insured, but prepare to pay.)

You’ll check in at reception and describe what’s going on. The speed at which your child will be seen depends on the urgency, not on when you get there, so long queues don’t need to scare you away if you need help now. If it turns out that the ER is the best place for your child, urgent care will do triage before sending you on.

In many cases, you’ll be glad it’s there. Urgent care for pediatric patients is cheaper, faster, child-centered, and open long after your pediatrician’s office closes.

Our Urgent Care Walk-In Clinics in Omaha, Bennington, West Omaha, Rockbrook, Crossroads & Bellevue, NE

Our staff works to provide prompt, personal, and professional care for all of our patients. We strive to provide the attention patients need in as quick a time as possible. Urgent Care Clinics in Omaha & Bellevue, Nebraska has three locations in the Omaha metropolitan area. Our three walk-in clinics are:

Disclaimer
The information contained on this webpage is for educational purposes as well as to provide general information and general understanding of the pertinent medical issue only, not to provide a specific diagnosis. This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. By using this blog/web site you understand there is no doctor patient relationship between you and the blog/web site publisher. The information included on this site should not be used as a substitute for medical advice from a licensed medical professional in your state. Neither Urgent Care Network, its subsidiaries, affiliates, assignees or successors in interest, nor any other party assume liability for loss or damage due to reliance on content of this blog/web site. If you are experiencing a severe medical issue, you should seek emergency assistance immediately.