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How to Go to A Walk-In Clinic or Doctor
If you have a medical emergency in the United States, call 911 or go to a hospital emergency room (ER). The
ER may have a very long wait. If your medical problem is less serious, go to a walk-in clinic. Look online or in a
phonebook for the closest clinic. Use the search “walk-in clinic” plus the name of the city you are in. In a
phonebook, look under “doctor” or “medical.” Check the clinic hours. You don’t need an appointment at
most clinics. You might want to bring a dictionary or a friend who can translate.
Documents to bring
If you are a visitor, you will probably be billed for your visit. Bring your papers with you, if you have insurance,
and your ID. If you are a student, bring your permit. Do you need to have your prescription refilled? Bring
your prescription form or bottle of medication with you.
Reception
Visit the reception desk first. The receptionist will ask you for your name and health card. Tell the
receptionist you are an insured visitor or an uninsured visitor. If you are a student, who her your student
permit. The receptionist may ask you to fill out a form. She may ask you a few questions:
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Do you have a family doctor/GP? (You can tell her your doctor’s name in your country.)
Why do you need to see a doctor today?
What is your medical concern?
How long have you had this problem/these symptoms?
Are you taking any medication?
Do you have any allergies?
Waiting Times
Most walk-in clinics will not tell you how long you will have to wait. They may estimate the time for you.
Usually you wait in a waiting room until your name is called. Listen carefully. Then you go into an examining
room and wait for the nurse to talk with you before the doctor sees you. You can try to ask these questions:
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How long is the wait?
How many doctors are on duty?
Talking to the Doctor
When the doctor comes, he or she will look at the information from the receptionist or nurse. The doctor will
ask you the reason for your visit:
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What brought you in today?
What’s your medical concern?
How can I help you?
Do your best to explain your (or your child’s) symptoms. Use gestures to point at body parts if you can’t explain
something. Here are some typical symptoms:
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I have a sore throat. (She has a sore throat.)
I have an earache.
I have an infection.
I have a bad cough.
I have a rash.
I feel sick to my stomach. I have a stomach ache.
I think I have the stomach flu.
I think I have food poisoning.
I have been vomiting/throwing up since yesterday.
I have a fever. (high temperature)
I have chills.
I’m experiencing pain in/on my
(body part).
I fell and hurt my
(body part).
I have a bad headache.
My
is swollen.
I think I am pregnant.
The doctor will ask how long this has been a problem:
 How long have you had these symptoms?
 Have you had this before?
 Are you in a lot of pain?
 Are you experiencing a lot of discomfort?
You can answer in two ways:
 for… …amount of time: for five days; for about a week
 since… …day or time it started in the past: since last Tuesday; since this morning
The doctor will examine you. The doctor may ask you to remove or loosen your clothing. The doctor will make a
suggestion or offer you a prescription. If you don’t understand, ask the doctor to repeat. Ask the doctor if he or
she needs to see you again.
Here are a few ways you can ask the doctor if he/she needs to see you again:
 I’m sorry, Doctor. I don’t understand what you said.
 Should I come in again?
 When should I come back?
Pharmacy
If you require medication, the doctor will write you a prescription. You will have to go to a pharmacy to get your
prescription filled. Another word for pharmacy is drugstore. Ask the doctor to write down the address of the
closest pharmacy. The person at the pharmacy is the pharmacist. Make sure you understand the dosage. If you
are unclear about the dosage, ask the pharmacist to repeat the information.
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Can you explain that to me again?
Repeat the dosage back to the pharmacist to be sure that you understand.
Quizlet: Basic Terms for an Office Visit to the Doctor
Bien
Well
La gotas
Drops
Cabeza
Head
La inyección
Shot
Casado
Tired
La medicina
Medicine
Débil
Weak
La operación
Operation
Diagnosticar
To diagnose
La pastille
Tablet
Digerir
To digest
La pildora
Pill
Doler(le)
To hurt
La presión (arterial)
Blood pressure
El análisis de sangre
Blood test
La receta
Prescription
El antibiótic
Antibiotic
La tos
Cough
El bulto
Lump
La venda
Bandage
El calmante
Sedative
La vitamina
Vitamin
El dolor de ________
________ache, pain
Las curas
Ures
El electrocardiógrafo
Electrocardiogram
Las dogas
Drugs
El escalofríos
Chills
Las muletas
Crutches
El estornudo
Sneeze
Las sintomas
Symptoms
el examen fisico
Physical examination
Los calambres
Cramps
El mal aliento
Bad breath
Mal
Badly
El médico
Doctor
Operar
To operate
Régimen
Diet
Para los oidos
Ear
El supositorio
Suppository
Para los a jos
Eye
El/la paciente
Patient
Perder el conocimiento
To lose consciousness
Enfermo
Sick
Recuperar
To recuperate
Esornudar
To sneeze
Sentirse
To feel
Espalda
Back
Sufir
To suffer
Estar dieta
To be on a diet
Tener la diarrhea
To have diarrhea
Estar embarzada
To be pregnant
Tomar(le) el pulse
To take someone’s pulse
Estar estreñido
To be constipated
Trgar
To swallow
Estar sin aliento
To be out of breth
Vacunar
To vaccinate
Estómago
Stomach
Fuerte
Strong
Hinchado
Swollen
Hinchar
To swell
La aspirina
Aspirin
La cirguía
Surgery
La cita
Appointment
La comezón
Itch
La enfermera
Nurse
La giebre
fever
Quizlet: Doctor Visit
Acabar de
Caer
Cortar
Curar
El catarro
El doctor
Enfermar
Estar enfermo
Estar saludable
Estar sano
Evitar
La doctora
La refriado
Lastimar
Mejorar
Occurrir
Quemar
Romper
Ser alérgico a
Tener alergia a
Tener catarro
Tener dolor de
Tener la gripe
Tener un resfriado
Tener un virus
Tener una infección
Toser
Trartar de
Vendar
To have just finished
To fall down
To cut (oneself)
To cure; to be cured
Cold
Male doctor
To get sick
To be sick
To be healthy
To be healthy
To avoid
Female doctor
Cold
To get hurt
To improve; to get better
To occur
To burn; to get burned
To break
To be allergic to
To be allergic to
To have a cold
To have a …pain
To have the flu
To have a cold
To have a virus
To have an infection
To cough
To try to
To bandage (oneself); to dress a wound