It’s nearly 9 o’clock on a Tuesday night in Portland, Oregon. Your child has a fever, a tugging-at-the-ear kind of misery, and the pediatrician's office closed hours ago. Do you wait it out? Head to the ER? Or find urgent care?

The answer depends on how sick your kid is. Knowing the differences can save you time, money, and worry.

The Quick Answer: 

• Pediatrician: Checkups, vaccines, growth and development, ongoing conditions, and non-urgent questions. 
• Urgent care and ZoomCare clinics: Illnesses and injuries that need attention today but aren’t life-threatening.
• Emergency room: Severe or life-threatening symptoms. When in doubt about a true emergency, call 911. 

When to See Your Pediatrician: 

Your child’s regular doctor knows their history best. They’re the right choice for chronic illnesses or ongoing concerns like asthma or ADHD, and mild symptoms that can wait for the next available appointment. 

When to Take Your Child to Urgent Care: 

Urgent care fills the gap when your child needs care today, such as evenings, weekends, or when the pediatrician can’t fit you in. Children can be seen at most urgent care and same-day care clinics.

At ZoomCare, kids and teens can be treated for common problems like:

• Fever over 102°F, cold, cough, flu, and RSV
• Ear infections, sore throat, and sinus infections 
• Pink eye and other eye infections
• Stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea
• Skin rashes, insect bites, and burns
• Cuts that may need stitches 
• Sprains
• Allergies, headaches, and urinary tract infections
  
  

Our team can diagnose, run lab tests, and manage prescriptions on the spot.

Book your ZoomCare visit today. 

ZoomCare specializes in acute care services. We do not offer pediatric well-child visits or pediatric-specific vaccines.

When ZoomCare Super is Your ER Alternative: 

Some things are more than urgent care handles, but don’t need a hospital ER either. That’s where ZoomCare Super comes in. We’re an affordable ER alternative, staffed by emergency doctors, including pediatric emergency services and on-site imaging. 

Consider ZoomCare Super for : 

• Broken bones, fractures, and dislocations
• Suspected concussions or head injuries without vomiting, confusion, loss of consciousness, or unusual sleepiness
• Large cuts that need more than a quick fix
• Asthma flare-ups
• Severe headaches
• Abdominal pain 
• Dehydration
• Eye injuries and rib injuries
• Serious infections  

ZoomCare Super can also provide X-ray, CT scan, ultrasound, and EKG on site, so your child doesn’t have to be sent elsewhere for testing.

Instead of waiting hours at the ER, the average Super visit takes just over an hour. And because it’s built as an ER alternative, you won’t face an ER-sized bill.

ZoomCare Super currently has two locations in the Portland metro area and is not a hospital ER. For life-threatening emergencies, go to the ER or call 911. 

When to Go to the ER (or Call 911)

Go to the emergency room right away for:

• Trouble breathing, fast or labored breathing, or blue or gray lips
• Seizures or unresponsiveness
• Severe allergic reaction (swelling of the face or throat, hives with breathing trouble) 
• Serious head injury, especially with vomiting, confusion, or unusual sleepiness
• Heavy bleeding that won’t stop with pressure 
• Accidental poisonings (Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222)
• Bones visibly out of place or bone poking through the skin 
• Fever in a newborn or infant under three months with a temperature of 100.4°F or higher (call your pediatrician or go to the ER)
• Any symptom that makes you feel your child’s life is in danger

Trust your instincts. You know your child best. 
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Why Parents Choose ZoomCare 

Book online for an in-person or video visit, then walk in and be seen at your scheduled time. 

Open 7 days a week. Sick kids don’t keep business hours. We offer weekend and late-night hours at several of our neighborhood clinics.