You need to see a doctor but the hassles and long waits at the emergency room turn your stomach? You could go to a walk-in clinic.
It’s Friday morning and little Ethan wakes up in tears, complaining that his right ear hurts. Of course, you immediately suspect an ear infection, but you’re no doctor and you can’t prescribe him the medication that will help him get better. The bad news is, your family doctor isn’t available today and your child’s next appointment with her is in two months! What’s more, the wait at the emergency room is sure to take all day. So, why not go to one of the neighbourhood walk-in clinics?
See a doctor without an appointment at your walk-in clinic
Walk-in clinics are a front-line strategy to get people moving through the health care system in a fast and efficient way, as many emergency rooms are overburdened. This means that there are now walk-in clinics in most areas. And often, regular family medical clinics also set aside certain periods of each day when patients can see a doctor within a few hours, without a previous appointment.
How does one go about seeing a doctor at a walk-in clinic? You can usually sign up for a consultation by phone or in person at the clinic. It’s best to call first to make sure there is a doctor on call for this purpose.
I don’t have a family doctor
Some walk-in clinics accept people whose family doctors don’t practice at the same medical clinic, or who don’t have a family doctor at all. There are even some walk-in clinics that are open on weekends. After all, you can’t choose when you or one of your loved ones gets sick!
Different formulas
In most of these walk-in clinics, an appointment is scheduled for later that day, and the patients are seen directly by a doctor on-site. In other clinics, things might run more according to the triage system used in hospital emergency rooms. Usually a nurse interviews the patients to evaluate their condition and hear their complaints and then prioritizes the more urgent cases. Otherwise, patients are seen by order of their appointments.
A consultation that can change everything
No matter how the walk-in clinic is organized, what is important is that you consult a doctor for your little Ethan’s medical problem before the infection gets worse and without having to add to overflowing hospital emergency rooms. And soon, your child will be smiling once again—and you as well!
