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### Emergency Room Care vs. Urgent Care Center

#### What Are the Differences between Emergency Rooms and Urgent Care Centers?

If you are experiencing an issue with your health, it is important to choose the right facility to get the treatment you need. We’ve put together this information to help you make the right decision when you’re faced with a medical emergency.

#### Urgent Care Center is NOT the Same as Emergency Room

The biggest difference between an urgent care center or clinic and an emergency room is that emergency rooms are open 24 hours and are better equipped to handle more serious illnesses than urgent care centers. Urgent care centers usually close their doors at night.

Also, urgent care centers are often staffed by physician assistants and nursing assistants while emergency rooms are staffed by trained and board-certified emergency room doctors and registered nurses (RNs).

Urgent care centers are same-day clinics that handle a variety of minor medical conditions that may need to be treated right away. Some conditions that can be treated at urgent care centers include fever, ear infections and minor cuts and sprains.

Emergency rooms specialize in treating most minor and major emergency health concerns. They have the equipment necessary to perform X-rays, CT scans and ultrasounds. They provide 24 hour emergency care, including on weekends and during national holidays. Emergency Rooms can treat minor conditions that urgent care clinics can as well, but they can also treat major illnesses that urgent care centers cannot treat.

#### Hospital Emergency Rooms vs. SignatureCare Emergency Center

While hospital emergency rooms have the ability to treat severe and life threatening conditions, there are often very long wait times and you are sometimes not seen by a board-certified physician. At SignatureCare Emergency Center you will always be seen by a board-certified physician.

At hospital ERs, you have the benefit of being moved to the main hospital wards immediately if the attending physician deems it necessary. SignatureCare Emergency Center can transfer you to area hospitals as well.

Our convenient emergency room locations in Texas are open 24/7, including on weekends and holidays and are easily accessible. Our physicians spend more time with each patient so you receive a higher quality of care. We’re here to help!

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