Noon is the best time to visit an urgent care center. Waiting times tend to be longer early in the morning and around dinnertime, as most people tend to go to urgent care just before or after work or school. First thing in the morning can also be busy, as people who have been suffering during the night come looking for care. Usually, the shortest wait time is at noon, when there are typically fewer patients seeking care.
Memorial Day weekend is one of the busiest travel days of the year, and also when tourists and people who stay at home are prone to injury. Grilled fires, jellyfish bites, and spoiled beef can all be treated at an urgent care center. Understanding what urgent care centers can and cannot treat can help you decide where to go for medical treatment. Urgent care centers are ideal if you need care for a minor medical problem or if you need other medical services, such as laboratory tests and vaccines. It seems easy to ask the doctor at the urgent care center to refill a medication for diabetes or pain.
However, when you can't get an appointment quickly enough to treat a mild, acute problem, an urgent care center can usually provide the same level of care. You can't control when you get injured or sick, but if you can, try to go late in the morning or early afternoon in the middle of the week, when waiting times tend to be shorter. Being rejected isn't as common as you might think. It's rare for urgent care to turn patients away. The ability to register online even before arriving at a clinic without an appointment can also help reduce wait time.
You can usually visit these centers without needing an appointment, but making an appointment or checking in before you arrive can help reduce wait time. The location of the emergency center near a shooting range and SeaWorld, as well as the fact that a metal festival suitable for mosh-pit is held on that day, are especially interesting footnotes considering this increase in the number of people waiting in line. The busiest place over the long weekend was Bay Shore, a Long Island village just across the water from the popular tourist destination Fire Island. If you need medical attention for a minor illness or injury that isn't life-threatening, visiting an urgent care center is often your best option. To minimize your wait time and ensure that you get the best possible care, try to visit during off-peak hours such as noon on weekdays.
You may also want to consider registering online before your visit or making an appointment if possible.