All parents want their children to be is happy and healthy. They know that the common cold or flu will eventually happen, unfortunately. They are under no illusion that their child will never fall down, or possibly break a bone or get a deep cut. The issue is not whether or not a child will go through this, but rather when it’ll happen. Hopefully, your child only needs a doctor during their pediatrician’s business hours, and preferably on the days when you’re not at work. Urgent care for kids can be a great choice when your child’s doctor is not available.
Children rarely do things when it’s convenient. They do things on their own schedule, and that usually means outside of business hours. For all the times your child needs a doctor but can’t see their regular pediatrician, you have the option of going to pediatric urgent care. You may be wondering whether pediatric urgent care is different than regular urgent care. Would a pediatric urgent care center be better equipped to help your child’s specific needs? Can’t you just go to the urgent care in your neighborhood? We’re here to answer these questions and give you the information you need before your child is sick and needs immediate attention.
What Is Urgent Care?
Urgent care is a type of emergency medical services. When a child is very sick, they sometimes need to be treated at a hospital in an emergency room. When they are generally healthy or have minor illnesses that don’t need to be treated immediately, your child should be seen by their regular pediatrician. For the times in between, when your child is sick but does not need emergency services, urgent care is the best option.
In recent years, the demand for urgent care facilities has increased dramatically. Urgent care serves more patients and is much more cost effective than emergency room treatment. Urgent care offers patients the perfect combination of medical expertise, emergency training, and quality health care.
Statcare Urgent Care is staffed by medical providers who are well trained in emergency medicine and have experience working in emergency rooms. Pediatric emergencies are part of the core curriculum for Emergency Medicine, a free-standing and well-established specialty. You can be sure that an urgent care facility like Statcare can provide all the necessary expertise that any pediatric urgent care would offer.
Common conditions that urgent care can treat include:
- Fevers
- Non-life-threatening burns or cuts
- Sore throats
- Bronchitis
- Broken bones
- Moderate to severe pain
- Sports injuries
- Flu and the common cold.
The more critical the injury or illness, the more unlikely it is that urgent care will be the best place for treatment, but you can always come into urgent care and then see another doctor if Statcare doctor’s feel it necessary.
At Statcare Urgent Care, we have x-ray machines and other medical equipment other places may not offer. We are also open seven days a week, including holidays, so many patients prefer our offices for convenience and expertise.
What Is Pediatric Urgent Care?
Pediatric urgent care facilities are those that cater specifically to children’s’ health needs. It’s important to note that these care centers aren’t always staffed by Emergency Medicine trained professionals. Rather, you’ll typically find that they are staffed by pediatricians working after-hours for extra income. The pediatric urgent care facilities are also typically open after hours only whereas urgent care is open from morning to night, all day long. Also, the copay often required at a pediatric urgent care is usually the specialist copay and deductibles may apply which may be outside of your family’s price range especially if the pediatricians at the pediatric urgent care bill as out-of-network pediatricians. It is important to consider the cost of the visit if the illness isn’t life-threatening.
Another thing to consider is that Pediatric Emergency Medicine is not a specialty in itself. It’s a fellowship training center for pediatricians. If you’re looking to get your child specialist care, take them directly to the ER instead of trying a pediatric urgent care center.
Although pediatric urgent care is more cost-effective than the emergency room, it is not always the best choice for your child. For emergency situations, if your child is in danger of death or serious injury, always take them directly to the emergency room. If your child can wait until their regular pediatrician is available, it may be wise to skip a pediatric urgent care appointment and see the doctor who has all their medical history. If you prefer not to wait, Statcare’s urgent care is open seven days a week to help you. Statcare’s emergency medicine experts see children two and older, as well as adults for all their urgent care needs.
What Does Children’s Urgent Care Treat?
Common ailments that require pediatric urgent care include:
- Minor accidents or falls
- Allergic reactions
- Asthma attacks
- Vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration
- Cold or flu symptoms
- Earaches
- Broken bones
- Burns
- Cuts
- Sore throats
- General pain
Of course, there are many other instances where your child may need to come into urgent care, but these are the most common reasons. If you find that the home remedies you usually rely on are not working, visit your closest Statcare Urgent Care and our staff will do everything possible to treat them as efficiently as possible.
A pediatric urgent care typically sees only sick children as the pediatrician sees the kids for all well visits. Some parents avoid pediatric urgent care centers altogether because they don’t want their child to get sick from exposure to germs. You can see that there are many considerations that one has to evaluate in making the best decision for your child. At the end of the day, your child who is sick needs to be seen right away. The professionals at Statcare are here to help you and your child all 7 days a week. Statcare is open 8 am to 8 pm every day and the Brooklyn location is open until 10 pm.
How Much Will an Urgent Care Visit Cost Me?
Anytime you or your family member goes to pediatric urgent care or urgent care, there are certain costs involved. It’s important to consider the right choice for your child’s health and sometimes for your budget, too. Statcare accepts most health insurances, so choosing one of our urgent care locations means it’s likely that you will only be responsible for paying your insurance copay and any applicable prescribed medicines.
Statcare Urgent Care offers patients emergency room professionals that cater to both adult and pediatric health needs. We’re also open during hours that are helpful to you. We know that you are busy and need to juggle work schedules, school schedules, and after-school activities so we make it easy to get quality care without disrupting your routine.
We have Statcare locations in Hicksville, Astoria, The Bronx and Brooklyn for our patients’ convenience. Statcare Urgent Care is open from 8am to 8 pm Monday through Friday (our Brooklyn location stays open until 10 pm). On Saturday and Sunday, our locations are open from 9am to 5pm (with our two locations in The Bronx closing at 3pm). And on all holidays, our locations stay open from 9am until 3pm. If your medical concerns happen during those times please come to our urgent care and we will make sure that one of our providers gives you the best care possible.
How Do Pediatric Urgent Care And Urgent Care Doctors Compare?
The staff at Statcare Urgent Care include physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. They all have significant emergency care experience. The staff is consumer-centric and kid-friendly, creating an environment that eases children’s fear. This care makes kids feel more comfortable and less afraid during their trip to urgent care. The entire staff understands that the child isn’t feeling well, so they will work to bring a smile to the child’s face. This care will help the whole family feel at ease. At Statcare, you will find friendly staff who specialize in your child’s experience.
Finding An Urgent Care Near Me
In New York, you have many options to choose from when you pick an urgent care center or a pediatric urgent care. Statcare offers award-winning service, longer hours and is open seven days a week, 365 days a year. You can find locations for Statcare in Astoria, Brooklyn, The Bronx, and Hicksville. We made sure our locations are close to the train so if you are commuting in from another borough, you will have an easy time finding us. Find out more about our locations and hours on our Home Page.
As you might have guessed, the differences between urgent care and pediatric urgent care are very subtle. We know that when it comes to the health of your child, every minor detail counts. It’s why we trained our staff to be experts in medicine and patient care of all ages. We created an urgent care that is familiar and comfortable to put you at ease during your most worrisome nights.
The next time something happens to your child and you have no way of getting ahold of your regular pediatrician, try our adult and pediatric urgent care. You can skip the wait times of the hospital emergency room and work with a friendly, well-trained staff ready to help. Click here to find out more about what we offer at our urgent care.
