- You have two options if you need after-hours medical attention: urgent care clinics or the ER.
- The ER is the best place to get specialized treatment for life-threatening illnesses and injuries.
When immediate injuries or illnesses strike outside your primary care doctor's usual hours, you have two options, depending on your symptoms and their severity: You can either go to the $4 (ER) or head to the nearest urgent care clinic.
As the name suggests, ERs are intended for emergencies, like severe bone fractures, persistent chest pain, or uncontrollable bleeding.
Urgent care clinics, on the other hand, offer a middle ground between the ER and waiting until your primary care doctor's office opens. You'll want to visit the urgent care for issues that aren't necessarily emergencies but still require prompt care. Examples include high fevers, mild to moderate difficulty breathing, or cuts that may need stitches.
Below, ER doctors share insight on how to determine when you should go to the ER, and when to opt for an urgent care visit instead.
When to go to the ER
You'll want to head to the ER right away for any condition or injury that poses a threat to your life, organs, or senses, including:
1. Excessive or uncontrollable bleeding
2. Severe head injuries
3. $4
4. Fainting or sudden, persistent dizziness
5. Intense, localized $4
6. Sudden numbness or weakness in the body, loss of coordination, or other $4
7. Sudden $4
8. Sudden confusion or disorientation
9. $4
10. Trouble breathing
11. A $4 of $4 or higher, along with other symptoms like irritability, vomiting, stomach or head pain, and light sensitivity
12. $4 in infants under 2 months of age
13. $4
14. Severe $4
15. $4
16. $4 or $4 that doesn't stop
17. Inhaled smoke or poisonous fumes
18. Open wound fractures
19. $4: heavy vaginal bleeding that's similar to a period or worse, severe and persistent abdominal pain or cramping, fever or chills, or sudden vision changes coupled with severe headaches
$4, Director of Clinical Operations of the Emergency Department at $4, advises trusting your gut when it comes to the above symptoms and conditions.
For example, if you have bronchitis — a condition that can typically be treated at an urgent care clinic — and are experiencing $4 or $4, you should visit the ER as soon as possible.
"I have treated many young patients who think they are having a panic attack and instead are experiencing supraventricular tachycardia, an abnormal heartbeat that may require emergency care. What looks like a bug bite may be a flesh-eating bacteria. Back pain from lifting a toddler out of the car could warrant spine surgery. The bottom line is to get guidance when in doubt, which is why the ER is open 24/7," White says.
If you're unsure whether you should go to the ER, call your personal doctor for more guidance.
When to go to urgent care
You'll generally want to visit an urgent care clinic for symptoms that require somewhat immediate attention but aren't life-threatening.
Note: It's always best to receive continued care from your regular doctor, so it's always worth a quick phone call to check if they can fit you in for an appointment before you head to urgent care.
According to $4, chief medical officer of $4 and co-founder of $4, medical conditions that may require a physician's care but not a trip to the ER include:
1. $4 — unless you experience blood in your vomit or stool, or severe $4
2. $4
3. $4
4. $4 unless they spread rapidly or are accompanied by a high fever, blisters, or bruises
5. Cold and $4, like severe $4 or $4
6. Mild to moderate $4
7. A fever higher than $4
8. Minor sprains and fractures in toes or fingers
9. Minor burns and cuts, unless there's excessive bleeding, or you have $4 like oozing pus or yellow crust around the wound
10. Minor ear, nose, and throat issues, including $4 and $4
11. $4 unless you have signs of a kidney infection like a fever, chills, or upper back and side pain
12. Bronchitis, unless you have difficulty breathing
13. Moderate back and joint pain
14. Earaches and $4
If a physician at an urgent care clinic determines your symptoms or condition require more intensive measures, they may transfer you directly to the nearest emergency room for treatment, according to $4, a resident emergency medicine physician at $4.
Here are some other things to consider when choosing between the ER and urgent care.
Prepare for a long wait when visiting the ER
Urgent care clinics are designed to treat a higher volume of patients than emergency rooms, so prepare to wait longer in the ER, White says. On average, $4 is 55.8 minutes in the US.
However, wait time can depend on how fully staffed the department is and how many beds are available. Your individual risk factors and results from your vital sign assessment can also come into play. If your injury is severe enough to threaten your life, you'll receive treatment much sooner.
White says the longest ER waits tend to be on:
- Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays
- After 7 p.m. when urgent care clinics close
On the other hand, you may receive treatment more quickly:
- Before noon on a weekday
- After midnight on a Saturday or Sunday
"ERs use a triage system to decide who can wait and assess if there are tests, imaging or treatment that can begin before they're seen," White says.
White recommends bringing comfortable clothes, a book, and a phone charger with you — along with your photo ID and insurance info.
An ER visit can be expensive
Going to the ER can be far more costly than visiting an urgent care clinic, according to Woody.
With insurance, the $4 is $1,014, whereas the cost of an urgent care clinic visit can range from around $22 to $261 — about 85% less.
So, unless you're dealing with a potentially serious issue or condition, you may want to skip the ER and visit an urgent care clinic instead.
ERs have access to more resources for specialized care
According to Sharza, most emergency rooms are connected to hospitals, so they typically have access to more resources — like advanced imaging technologies and specialist physicians.
Specialists like allergists, dermatologists, urologists, gastroenterologists, and infectious disease doctors have advanced training for treating complex, nuanced medical problems.
Moreover, only some urgent care centers may offer X-rays, MRIs, CAT scans, and in-house labs, while all hospitals offer these services.
Also, emergency rooms have easy access to on-call surgeons, whereas urgent care centers would need to transfer you to a hospital for surgery.
Note: While you can call 911 or head to your nearest ER if you have thoughts of suicide, the care provided in the ER may not be ideal during a mental health crisis. Instead, consider calling the $4 at $4 for free, confidential support.
Insider's takeaway
Visit your nearest emergency room for any condition that may impair or endanger your life. Urgent care clinics are a great solution when you need medical attention for an issue that's not life-threatening but can't wait until you can visit your usual doctor.
Still unsure about which option is a better fit? You can always call your doctor's office or a local emergency room for advice based on your current symptoms.
Experts agree, however, that it's always better to be safe than sorry. So, if you're at all concerned about the severity of your symptoms or the risk they pose to your health, head to your nearest emergency room to get evaluated.