There are many reasons that it's beneficial to visit your local primary care center as an alternative to seeing your family doctor or going to the hospital. While each of the latter two choices is certainly beneficial in the right situation, a visit to the primary care center can be quicker than waiting to see your family doctor and potentially even quicker than sitting in an emergency room if you don't have a serious health issue. While you can visit a primary care center for a variety of health services, this is also a logical place to go when you need to obtain a test. Here are some tests that are commonly administered at primary care centers.
Drug Tests
Depending on where you work and the company for which you work, you might occasionally need to be tested for drugs. This can occur in the form of an unscheduled urine test administered in your place of work, or you may be asked to arrange your own drug test through a medical professional. Many primary care centers can take care of this type of testing, which will allow you to complete the test quickly so that you can share the results with your employer in a timely manner.
Blood Tests
When you visit your family doctor with a health complaint, he or she may advise you to go get blood work. Unfortunately, you may call the local clinic and find that you aren't able to get in for a period of days. If you're concerned about your health condition and want it quickly diagnosed so that you can begin treatment, you need a blood test in a timely manner. In this scenario, it's ideal to visit a primary care center, as many such centers can administer blood test on a walk-in basis.
Sexually Transmitted Disease Tests
Although you hope to never be concerned that you've been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease, it's important to obtain such a test quickly if you believe you may be at risk. Given that it could take some time to see your family doctor and this isn't the type of emergency that a hospital is best for, you should plan to visit your primary care center. This test can be administered promptly so that you'll know if you're infected with a sexually transmitted disease or not. If you're interested in the other tests that you can obtain through primary care, contact your local clinic.
