4 ms·

If you go to urgent care, you most likely won't get a physician. 9/10 visits are urgent care you only see a PA or NP and they can't even really do much. Urgent

If you go to urgent care, you most likely won't get a physician. 9/10 visits are urgent care you only see a PA or NP and they can't even really do much. Urgent care seems to also provide really poor results--every time I've gone it's a long wait, the workers seem over-stressed, you barely get any time with the doctor, and usually they just do a strep test or give you a Zithromax pack and hope you'll go away.

sys_64738 3y ago
> If you go to urgent care, you most likely won't get a physician. Not my experience. Every time I've gone to urgent care I am always seen by a MD.
- brewdad 3y ago
  You are very lucky. I don't think my urgent care even has an MD in the building anymore. Anything more than a cold or obvious case gets a "nothing we can do" and follow-up with your doctor. Anything mysterious but potentially severe gets you referred to the ER.
philwelch 3y ago
If all you need is a strep test or a Z pack, urgent care is a great deal.
- diogenescynic 3y ago
  Sure, but what about those outlier scenarios? How do I know the NP or PA is actually going to catch those nuances? For example, a few years back I had a sinus infection in the spring and the NP/PA thought it was just allergies and tried to get me to try allergy medication... it was a useless trip. I'd much prefer a physician, but my primary doctor usually is booked out.
NegativeK 3y ago
Anecdote that isn't remotely data: I went to an urgent care facility the first time I had a migraine aura without headache. I described it to the receptionist as a "visual hallucination", since it was a flashing checkerboard pattern that obviously wasn't real. The receptionist _ran_ to the back to get a doctor. The doctor, in an exam room, very careful, and with significant compassion, explained that they don't have the ability to treat me at that location -- but would I accept an ambulance if they called it? I took an Uber to the ER, where the admitting nurse gave me a flat stare and said "That's not a hallucination," but still put me at the front of the line to have an attending doctor and a bunch of students stare into my eyeballs before confirming that it was a headacheless migraine. To this day, I use that experience as an example of a lay person and a professional completely failing to understand each others' word choice.
- ungruntled 3y ago
  Possibly similar situation…but probably due to something else other than miscommunications. I had insurance partnered with my university. I went to the uni clinic due to a headache and fever so I could get some ibuprofen. They had no capacity to perform any tests and told me I needed to goto the hospital. They ordered an ambulance and said I needed to sign a waiver if I refused them. I had no idea what the impact would be to my insurance so I went along with it. At the hospital ER they hooked me up to IV immediately and then said I needed a spinal tap to check for meningitis because they couldn't explain the fever. I asked to leave, but nobody came to unhook me from the IV or bring my belongings back. They then guided me to another room after an hour or so with 5 people in it. I asked to leave immediately, and they said I could have a life threatening case and I needed to sign a waiver if I left. Apparently they were bringing another doctor from another hospital as emergency to do the test. This time I called my family for advice and signed the form but they were very pushy. The headache and fever were gone the next day. This experience has scarred me from going to U.S. healthcare to this day.

sys_64738 3y ago

> If you go to urgent care, you most likely won't get a physician. Not my experience. Every time I've gone to urgent care I am always seen by a MD.

brewdad 3y ago
You are very lucky. I don't think my urgent care even has an MD in the building anymore. Anything more than a cold or obvious case gets a "nothing we can do" and follow-up with your doctor. Anything mysterious but potentially severe gets you referred to the ER.

philwelch 3y ago

If all you need is a strep test or a Z pack, urgent care is a great deal.

diogenescynic 3y ago
Sure, but what about those outlier scenarios? How do I know the NP or PA is actually going to catch those nuances? For example, a few years back I had a sinus infection in the spring and the NP/PA thought it was just allergies and tried to get me to try allergy medication... it was a useless trip. I'd much prefer a physician, but my primary doctor usually is booked out.

NegativeK 3y ago

Anecdote that isn't remotely data: I went to an urgent care facility the first time I had a migraine aura without headache. I described it to the receptionist as a "visual hallucination", since it was a flashing checkerboard pattern that obviously wasn't real. The receptionist _ran_ to the back to get a doctor. The doctor, in an exam room, very careful, and with significant compassion, explained that they don't have the ability to treat me at that location -- but would I accept an ambulance if they called it? I took an Uber to the ER, where the admitting nurse gave me a flat stare and said "That's not a hallucination," but still put me at the front of the line to have an attending doctor and a bunch of students stare into my eyeballs before confirming that it was a headacheless migraine. To this day, I use that experience as an example of a lay person and a professional completely failing to understand each others' word choice.

ungruntled 3y ago
Possibly similar situation…but probably due to something else other than miscommunications. I had insurance partnered with my university. I went to the uni clinic due to a headache and fever so I could get some ibuprofen. They had no capacity to perform any tests and told me I needed to goto the hospital. They ordered an ambulance and said I needed to sign a waiver if I refused them. I had no idea what the impact would be to my insurance so I went along with it. At the hospital ER they hooked me up to IV immediately and then said I needed a spinal tap to check for meningitis because they couldn't explain the fever. I asked to leave, but nobody came to unhook me from the IV or bring my belongings back. They then guided me to another room after an hour or so with 5 people in it. I asked to leave immediately, and they said I could have a life threatening case and I needed to sign a waiver if I left. Apparently they were bringing another doctor from another hospital as emergency to do the test. This time I called my family for advice and signed the form but they were very pushy. The headache and fever were gone the next day. This experience has scarred me from going to U.S. healthcare to this day.