{"id":23707,"date":"2023-01-09T07:00:01","date_gmt":"2023-01-09T07:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/?p=23707"},"modified":"2025-12-16T17:24:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T17:24:04","slug":"er-emergency-room-urgent-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/er-emergency-room-urgent-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Emergency department, urgent care or virtual care? How to know where to go","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s a Saturday afternoon and your child\u2019s sniffles are now accompanied by a high fever. The pediatrician\u2019s office is closed and you\u2019re uncertain about what to do.<\/p>\n<p>Do you need to go to the emergency department (ED)? What about an urgent care clinic? Is a virtual visit a possibility? Whether it\u2019s your child, another family member or yourself who\u2019s sick or injured, you\u2019re not alone if you\u2019ve ever asked yourself these questions.<\/p>\n<p>Knowing <a href=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/patient-resources\/healthy-living\/where-to-seek-care\/\">where to go for care<\/a> can save you time, facilitate prompt treatment and ensure emergency department resources remain available for those who need lifesaving care.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>The difference and why it matters<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>EDs and urgent care clinics both provide medical care quickly, but one of the differences between the two is their function.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/services\/emergency-care\/\">Emergency departments<\/a> are designed to rule out and treat life-threatening conditions, while <a href=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/find-a-location\/?locationType=13\">urgent care clinics<\/a> are designed to treat illnesses or injuries that need attention but are not life-threatening \u2014 think earaches; cold and flu symptoms; bronchitis; and minor wounds, minor burns or minor fractures, for example.<\/p>\n<p>Understanding this difference can help you seek the right level of care. Going to the ED for health concerns that are not life-threatening can result in long wait times and potential delays in care for yourself and others.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA common misconception is that EDs see people on a first-come, first-served basis, but that isn\u2019t how they operate,\u201d says Greta Davis, DO, medical director of the emergency department at MultiCare Allenmore Hospital.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you walk into the ED, you\u2019ll be assessed by a triage nurse and put in a queue based on certain medical criteria,\u201d Dr. Davis continues. \u201cDepending on the severity of your symptoms and situation, you could be seen later than someone who comes into the ED after you did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s one reason ED wait times can vary quite a bit, she says. Life-threatening conditions are evaluated and treated first \u2014 but the ED is sometimes a person\u2019s only option, so if that\u2019s the case don\u2019t let this discourage you.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe welcome everyone that walks through our doors no matter what their concern is,\u201d Dr. Davis says.<\/p>\n<p>During the cold and flu season, hospital emergency departments generally see high volumes of patients with respiratory illnesses, such as influenza (flu) and <a href=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/rsv-is-on-the-rise-what-you-need-to-know\/\">respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)<\/a>, which can contribute to long wait times.<\/p>\n<p>Unless you or your loved one are dealing with a serious or life-threatening injury or illness, it\u2019s likely best to make an appointment with your primary care provider, <a href=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/find-a-location\/?locationType=13\">visit an urgent care clinic<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/patient-resources\/virtual-health\/\">make a virtual care appointment<\/a>, if possible.<\/p>\n<p>MultiCare virtual care providers can evaluate, diagnose and treat many nonemergency health problems, such as urinary tract infections, rashes, or cold and flu symptoms.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Know your options<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">When the unexpected happens or when you aren\u2019t feeling well, it can be hard to evaluate your symptoms and figure out where to go. This chart shows some common health conditions and emergencies, and the ideal locations to seek treatment for each.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Note: <\/strong>This list does not include every symptom that may require emergency medical care. If you or a loved one may be having a medical emergency, call 911 or visit your nearest emergency department.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s a Saturday afternoon and your child\u2019s sniffles are now accompanied by a high fever. The pediatrician\u2019s office is closed and you\u2019re uncertain about what to do. Do you need to go to the emergency department (ED)? What about an urgent care clinic? Is a virtual visit a possibility? Whether it\u2019s your child, another family [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":367,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[127,67,99],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-healthy-living","category-kids-health","category-primary-care"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6 (Yoast SEO v27.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Should I go to the ER, urgent care or virtual care? - MultiCare Vitals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Emergency rooms treat life-threatening conditions, while urgent care treats illnesses\/injuries that need care but are not life-threatening.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/er-emergency-room-urgent-care\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Should I go to the ER, urgent care or virtual care?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Emergency rooms treat life-threatening conditions, while urgent care treats illnesses\/injuries that need care but are not life-threatening.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/er-emergency-room-urgent-care\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MultiCare Vitals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/multicarehealthsystem\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-01-09T07:00:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-16T17:24:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/01\/Covington_ED-UC-5264x3593-179a6d2-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1747\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Meredith Bailey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Should I go to the ER, urgent care or virtual care?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Emergency rooms treat life-threatening conditions, while urgent care treats illnesses\/injuries that need care but are not life-threatening.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/01\/Covington_ED-UC-5264x3593-179a6d2-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/er-emergency-room-urgent-care\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/er-emergency-room-urgent-care\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Meredith Bailey\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3d80971e5d1c5404ee17bb4be80bd913\"},\"headline\":\"Emergency department, urgent care or virtual care? 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