When you’re sick, you usually can’t wait to get see a doctor, get some medicine, and get back to feeling like yourself again.

The problem is that your doctor may not be around if you pick up the flu on the weekend or in the middle of the night. If this happens, your first inclination is probably to head to the emergency room so that you can at least get a degree of relief. But in the ER, you’ll likely have to sit around for hours to be seen if your situation is not critical.

So what can you do?

Try to locate the nearest walk in clinic, which is usually an urgent care facility. Urgent care centers are a savior for people who need immediate care for their illness or injury.

These centers are equipped with highly trained nurses and medical assistants, and they must have a licensed physician onsite at all times during business hours. These medical professionals can treat most non-life threatening issues, such as minor lacerations, the flu, sprains, strains, respiratory infections, and ear infections, to name a few. So, you don’t have to worry about receiving quality care from someone other than your doctor or the ER.

One of the main benefits of going to your nearest walk in clinic is that you will likely be seen within 20 minutes, and in fact, many patients that visit urgent care facilities report that they are seen quickly, and are in and out of the clinic within an hour.

Also, the cost of these clinics is much less than the ER. On average, an ER visit can cost you up to $1,500 just for an uncomplicated visit, and maybe even more if you have x-rays or any treatment done. An urgent care clinic will only cost you about $150 or less for most treatments, even without insurance.

So, don’t waste your time waiting for a doctor to get back to you, or twiddling your thumbs in the ER, look for the closest urgent care clinic, and get your health back. Find more.