You’re feeling sick and you don’t know what to do. Your regular doctor is too busy to see you, and while you certainly don’t want to ignore what’s bothering you, you also can’t bring yourself to face a multi-hour wait at the nearby emergency room. You call a friend to moan and complain, and she suggests that you visit a local walk-in clinic. While the idea of visiting a walk-in express clinic sounds good in theory, you can’t help but feel skeptical about the notion. After all, by going to a walk-in clinic, you’ll be dealing with doctors you’ve never met before. Then again, the same situation applies to the local emergency room, and you’re not about ready to take your business there. The question is: What should you do?
Despite the fact that walk-in clinics have been growing in popularity throughout the country, some people are less than comfortable with the notion of getting treated at these types of facilities. However, it’s important to recognize the fact that just because a walk-in clinic offers quick and instant service doesn’t mean that you won’t get excellent medical care.
Dr. Davis Cloward is a physician at Doctors Express, a High Point, North Carolina walk-in clinic equipped to handle everything from travel-related injuries to colds, coughs, and allergies, and according to him, it is impossible for a patient to identify a good doctor from a bad one simply by looking at the name and writing on his door. The same concept holds true with respect to walk-in clinics. A local express facility might have the best doctors in the world, or it might have inexperienced providers with poor bedside manners – and there’s really no way to know what you’ll find until you walk through its doors and get treated. On the other hand, if you’re willing to be open-minded, then you may come to find that the doctors at your local walk-in clinic are just as attentive and thorough as your primary care physician, if not more so. After all is said and done, your experience at an express clinic will depend heavily on the medical professionals it employs, and just as you’d trust a new doctor, so too should you approach your walk-in clinic visit with an unbiased point of view.
Of course, if you’re intent on doing some research before trusting an express clinic to manage your care, then you take the time to ensure that the medical professionals at your local facility are board certified. You can also try relying on word of mouth advertising courtesy of your friends, colleagues, and neighbors who may have used the same express clinic in the past. In Dr. Cloward’s opinion, there’s no harm in acquiring as much information as possible before getting yourself seen by any type of physician. However, the only real way to determine whether or not you should trust a walk-in clinic is to visit the facility yourself and see what it’s really all about.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
