Four Things To Know About Taking Your Child To An Urgent Care Center For The First Time

When your child is injured for the first time, it can be hard to know what to do. Many parents start to panic, but it is important to remain calm and take your child to the nearest urgent care center that you can right away. The guide below walks you through a few things to know about taking your child to an urgent care center for the first time.

Provide Medical Insurance Information

While you are waiting for your child to be seen by the doctors, the receptionist at the front desk will have paperwork for you to fill out. You will need to fill out specific information about your child and their medical history, as well as information about their medical insurance. Many urgent care centers will still see your child even if you do not have insurance, but you will have to pay for the costs out of pocket.

Keep Your Child Relaxed and Calm

Waiting to be seen can be scary for many children. Take the time to calm your child as much as you can. Distract him or her by playing a game, such as Eye Spy while you are in the waiting room. If they are in pain, you can ask for a cold pack to put on the area to numb some of the pain until your child can be seen.

Stay with Your Child at All Times

If your child has possibly fractured or broken a body part, x-rays will need to be taken. Stay with your child at all times to ensure that they feel safe and comfortable while the x-rays are being taken. Your child will need to stay as still as possible and having you in the room near them can help to ease any worry or stress that they may have.

Not All Treatments Can be Done at the Urgent Care

Depending on how badly your child is injured, you may need to take them to the emergency room at the hospital after they have been seen at the urgent care to get the proper treatment that they need. The doctors at the urgent care will not be able to do any surgeries if they are needed and may not be able to set a badly broken bone.

It is important to take your child to be seen as soon as you possibly can so that they are in the least amount of pain possible. The doctors at the urgent care center will often give your child medications to help ease their pain and which will help them be able to better relax.