At The Urgent Care at Vermont, we offer a wide range of diagnostics to discover the condition behind our patients’ symptoms. It’s very important to know what the condition is in order to offer the best treatment or recommendations, so don’t stay home if you’re experiencing symptoms that could benefit from diagnosis!
Lab Testing for Blood and Urine
A blood test is when we take a sample of your blood for laboratory testing. Blood samples offer many clues about the health of organs like your kidneys, liver, heart, or thyroid. They can help diagnose diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and HIV/AIDS. To administer a blood test, we will clean your arm with an antiseptic, place an elastic band or blood pressure cuff around your upper arm, insert a needle into the vein and collect the blood in a vial or syringe, and then apply a bandage.
A urine test checks the different components of your urine. It can help diagnose a wide range of disorders, such as urinary tract infections (UTIs), kidney disease, and diabetes. Urinalysis checks the appearance, concentration, and content of urine. A UTI, for example, may result in cloudy urine.
X-Ray
X-rays are useful in the detection of pathology of the skeletal system (diagnosing broken bones and other problems with the bones), as well as for detecting some disease processes in soft tissue. A chest X-ray can be used to identify lung diseases like pneumonia, lung cancer, or pulmonary edema, and an abdominal X-ray can detect bowel obstructions, perforations, or free fluid. They are less useful for the imaging of soft tissues like the brain or muscles.
EKG
An EKG or ECG (electrocardiogram) records the electrical signals coming from the heart to check for different heart conditions. We place electrodes on the chest and the signals are shown as waves on a monitor.
Rapid Strep
If you or your child is experiencing sore throat symptoms, we can perform a rapid antigen detection test to determine whether it is due to streptococci (strep throat). If it is strep throat, we will prescribe antibiotics to help it resolve and reduce the risk of complications.
Rapid Mono
Mono, often called the “kissing disease” because it is transmitted through saliva, can be quickly tested for with a fingerstick test. We will see the results in under 10 minutes. Mono can also be tested through a blood draw. You can typically only get mono once in your life, so make sure to let us know if you have tested positive in the past.
Rapid Flu
If you are experiencing flu symptoms, we can use a rapid flu test and get your results in under 15 minutes. Rapid tests will not tell us which strain of the virus is present, but a positive result will be enough information for us to prescribe antiviral medications. During peak flu season, the test may not be necessary before prescribing antivirals.
Rapid and PCR COVID-19 Testing
Testing is tremendously important for containing the spread of COVID-19. We offer the rapid antigen test, which detects protein fragments that are specific to the coronavirus. The results are very quick, so this is a good option if you can’t wait for a result but are already experiencing symptoms. The results may not be as accurate as PCR testing.
PCR testing is considered the gold standard in detecting COVID-19. It detects RNA specific to the virus and can do so within days of infection even if you are asymptomatic. Its one downside is that it takes longer to return the results, particularly in times of high demand.
STD Testing
We can screen for sexually transmitted diseases or infections (STDs/STIs). Many STD tests require a genital exam, while others can be conducted with a mouth swab or a urine sample. Confidential (private) STD tests and counseling are provided by trained staff who understand your needs and concerns.
Pregnancy Test
While you can take a home pregnancy test, we can confirm your results at our clinic. Results from home tests may be less accurate very early in the pregnancy, even if they claim to work a few days before a missed period.
TB Skin Test (PPD)
We use the purified protein derivative (PPD) skin test to test for tuberculosis (TB). TB is a serious bacterial infection that can be spread by breathing in the air exhaled by someone infected, and it can remain inactive in the body for years, flaring up when the immune system becomes weakened.
For the test, we swab the skin of your forearm with alcohol, then administer a small PPD shot beneath the top layer of your skin, forming a small bump that usually goes away in a few hours. You must return two to three days later so that we can check the area for a reaction. No or little swelling of the area means you haven’t been infected, while a small or large reaction indicate infection, depending on certain variables.