Community Connection: Emergency Room Versus Walk in Clinic Visits

An Overview of Our Emergency Room and Walk In Clinic Services

co-written by Jade Kelling, DNP, FNP-C, and Krista Ulmer PA-C – full time providers at the McKenzie Health’s Walk-in Clinic in Watford City

Accidents happen! In the heat of the moment sometimes it is difficult to make the decision regarding where to go or what to do. We are here to help with that! Community members in Watford City, ND, have access to the Walk-in Clinic in the case of slips and falls, bumps, bruises and many more concerns that can happen to people of all ages.

The Walk-in Clinic is available 8am to 6pm every day in Watford City.

Some things are true emergencies. In those cases, we have trained providers on-call 24 hours every day to offer emergency care. 

An important difference between our walk-in clinic and the emergency room includes limitations to diagnostic testing in some circumstances. We wanted to highlight an important example of this – chest pain. The best place to be evaluated for chest pain is in the emergency department as some forms of chest pain may be benign in nature, while other forms can be life threatening. The walk-in clinic is unable to safely monitor and provide a definitive cardiac rule out.

So, how do you know where to go? Check this list of common illnesses, injuries and other conditions and where to get the care you need. 

Call 911 or go to the nearest ER for: 

• • Allergic reactions with difficulty breathing 
  • Chest pain 
  • Deep wounds 
  • Difficulty speaking 
  • Fever above 104° 
  • Head trauma 
  • Heart palpitations 
  • Heat illness 
  • Heavy bleeding 
  • Numbness 
  • Overdose 
  • Pregnancy-related concerns 
  • Seizure 
  • Serious head, neck, or back injuries 
  • Severe abdominal pain 
  • Severe broken bones and open fractures 
  • Severe burns 
  • Severe pain or headache 
  • Shortness of breath 
  • Sudden confusion, changes in mental status or loss of consciousness 
  • Sudden dizziness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg 
  • Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes 
  • Suicidal thoughts 

Seek care from McKenzie Health’s Walk-in Clinic for: 

• • Body aches 
  • Cold 
  • Cough 
  • Diarrhea 
  • Earache 
  • Fever below 104° 
  • Minor asthma attack 
  • Minor burn 
  • Minor broken bones 
  • Gout, arthritis
  • Minor skin lacerations requiring suture repair
  • Minor injuries 
  • Nausea and vomiting 
  • Rash 
  • Sore throat 
  • Sprain 
  • Urinary tract infection 
  • Pink eye 

The walk-in clinic is a great resource for our community as we can serve patients who need acute care when they are not able to be seen by their primary care team. Working as providers in the walk-in clinic has been truly rewarding as patients are served promptly and carefully to treat acute illness. We strive to make a positive difference in our community, to be a valued and trusted resource for acute illness.

For all concerns that require follow up, we can refer to any specialty provider or primary care provider to ensure continuity of care. We are full time providers at McKenzie Health’s Walk-in Clinic in Watford City, ND, and look forward to helping you toward wellness should you need our care!