Medically reviewed by: Mark Aquino FNP-C – An Urgent Care Nurse Practitioner, author of Physical Assessment for Nurses Simplified. Based on real world healthcare experience and up-to-date clinical guidelines.
Explore UrgentWiki’s practical clinical references by urgent-care specialty and subject area. Each category includes evaluation frameworks, common diagnoses, red-flag conditions, diagnostic considerations, treatment guidance, procedures, disposition criteria, and links to detailed clinical resources.
Browse by categories:
- Cardiovascular
- Dermatology
- ENT
- Gastrointestinal
- Genitourinary
- Infectious Disease
- Musculoskeletal
- Neurologic
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatrics
- Practice, Documentation, and Coding
- Respiratory
- Women’s Health
- Wounds and Procedures
Browse all articles:
- Acute Otitis Media: Diagnosis and TreatmentClinician-focused guidance on accurate diagnosis, analgesia, observation, antibiotics, red flags, disposition, and follow-up for acute otitis media.
- Cerumen Removal: Methods, Safety, and DocumentationA clinician-focused urgent care guide to cerumen removal, including irrigation, manual techniques, safety screening, complications, referral, and documentation.
- Sore Throat in Urgent Care: Evaluation and TestingA practical urgent care approach to sore throat evaluation, strep testing, differential diagnosis, treatment, and emergency red flags.
- Acute Rash in Urgent Care: A Practical Diagnostic ApproachA clinician-focused framework for evaluating acute rash in urgent care, identifying red flags, testing strategically, and choosing safe disposition.
- Cellulitis: Evaluation and Management in Urgent CareA clinician-focused guide to evaluating cellulitis in urgent care, selecting outpatient treatment, identifying mimics, and recognizing emergency red flags.
- ECG Interpretation in Urgent Care: A Practical ApproachA systematic, safety-focused guide to ECG interpretation in urgent care, emphasizing rapid recognition, differential diagnosis, and emergency transfer.
- Chest Pain in Urgent Care: Evaluation and Red FlagsA clinician-focused approach to chest pain urgent care evaluation, red flags, testing limits, emergency transfer, and safe disposition.
- Abscess Incision and Drainage: Urgent Care Procedure GuideClinician-focused guide to abscess incision and drainage, including evaluation, ultrasound, antibiotics, procedure technique, follow-up, and transfer criteria.
- Hypertensive Urgency vs Hypertensive EmergencyDifferentiate severe asymptomatic hypertension from hypertensive emergency, identify target-organ injury, and make safe urgent-care disposition decisions.
- Urgent Care Practice, Documentation, and Coding: A Practical Guide to Defensible Notes, Medical Decision-Making, Procedures, Follow-Up, and ComplianceThe note should show why the plan was safe Documentation is not a transcript of the visit and should not be a defensive wall of normal findings. Its purpose is to communicate… Read more: Urgent Care Practice, Documentation, and Coding: A Practical Guide to Defensible Notes, Medical Decision-Making, Procedures, Follow-Up, and Compliance
- Wounds and Procedures in Urgent Care: A Practical Approach to Lacerations, Bites, Burns, Abscesses, Foreign Bodies, and Procedural SafetyClinical scope and disclaimer: Procedures require training, appropriate equipment, informed consent, rescue capability, and adherence to local policy. This article does not authorize a clinician to perform a procedure beyond competence or… Read more: Wounds and Procedures in Urgent Care: A Practical Approach to Lacerations, Bites, Burns, Abscesses, Foreign Bodies, and Procedural Safety
- Women’s Health Complaints in Urgent Care: A Practical Approach to Pelvic Pain, Bleeding, Pregnancy, Vaginal Symptoms, and EmergenciesPregnancy status changes the entire differential Pelvic pain, bleeding, dysuria, discharge, nausea, dizziness, and abdominal pain may signal benign disease or ectopic pregnancy, ovarian torsion, pelvic inflammatory disease, hemorrhage, preeclampsia, or postpartum… Read more: Women’s Health Complaints in Urgent Care: A Practical Approach to Pelvic Pain, Bleeding, Pregnancy, Vaginal Symptoms, and Emergencies
- Respiratory Complaints in Urgent Care: A Practical Approach to Cough, Dyspnea, Wheeze, Pneumonia, and Respiratory EmergenciesRespiratory symptoms require physiology-first assessment Cough and congestion are common, but dyspnea may reflect asthma, COPD, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, pneumothorax, heart failure, metabolic acidosis, anemia, acute coronary syndrome, or anxiety. A normal… Read more: Respiratory Complaints in Urgent Care: A Practical Approach to Cough, Dyspnea, Wheeze, Pneumonia, and Respiratory Emergencies
- Pediatric Complaints in Urgent Care: A Practical Approach to Fever, Respiratory Illness, Dehydration, Injury, and Pediatric EmergenciesChildren are not small adults Children compensate physiologically and may appear stable until they deteriorate. Normal vital signs vary by age, developmental ability changes the history and examination, and dosing errors can… Read more: Pediatric Complaints in Urgent Care: A Practical Approach to Fever, Respiratory Illness, Dehydration, Injury, and Pediatric Emergencies
- Eye Complaints in Urgent Care: A Practical Approach to Red Eye, Pain, Vision Change, Trauma, and Ophthalmic EmergenciesThe eye examination begins with vision “Red eye” is a sign, not a diagnosis. Conjunctivitis is common, but pain, photophobia, reduced vision, corneal opacity, abnormal pupil, elevated pressure, trauma, contact-lens use, or… Read more: Eye Complaints in Urgent Care: A Practical Approach to Red Eye, Pain, Vision Change, Trauma, and Ophthalmic Emergencies
- Neurologic Complaints in Urgent Care: A Practical Approach to Headache, Dizziness, Weakness, Seizure, and Neurologic EmergenciesWhy neurologic complaints are high risk Headache, dizziness, numbness, weakness, and confusion are common but diagnostically imprecise. Patients may struggle to describe vertigo, presyncope, imbalance, sensory loss, or cognitive change. A normal… Read more: Neurologic Complaints in Urgent Care: A Practical Approach to Headache, Dizziness, Weakness, Seizure, and Neurologic Emergencies
About the author/editor: Mark Aquino MSN, ARNP, FNP-C. Mark has a Master of Science in Nursing received from West Coast University and board certified family nurse practitioner (FNP-C) with over 8 years of real-world experience in the health care industry and currently practicing in an urgent care clinic diagnosing and prescribing treatments in California, USA. He is also author of Physical Assessment for Nurses Simplified.
Medically reviewed by: Mark Aquino FNP-C – An Urgent Care Nurse Practitioner, author of Physical Assessment for Nurses Simplified. Based on real world healthcare experience and up-to-date clinical guidelines.