If you’ve been injured or have unexplained pain, you may want to know if you can get a CT scan at an urgent care facility. The answer can depend on the facility and the severity of your injury.
In most cases, no. Most traditional urgent care clinics do not offer CT scans due to equipment limitations and a lack of on-site radiology support. While many urgent cares can perform basic imaging like X-rays, a CT scanner requires specialized installation, radiation safety protocols, and skilled interpretation by emergency-trained providers.
That’s where The Urgency Room stands apart.
Each of our locations is equipped with full CT capabilities and staffed by providers with emergency medicine experience, allowing us to deliver hospital-grade diagnostics in an outpatient setting.
If you’ve ever wondered whether an X-ray or CT scan is more appropriate, we’re uniquely positioned to help determine that based on your symptoms right when you walk in.
What Is a CT Scanner?
Computed tomography, or CT as it’s widely known, is commonly used to quickly and accurately detect internal injuries. While a CT scanner functions differently than an X-ray machine, it still uses X-rays as a means of taking images of different parts of the body.
A CT scanner’s X-rays make full rotations around a patient in order to capture “slices” of the patient. Instead of receiving a flat image, physicians are able to obtain images of internal cross-sections that they can assemble, take apart, turn, and examine from different angles.
The resulting 3D images enable physicians or providers to examine the skeleton, organs, and tissues of a patient while trying to pinpoint abnormalities such as bleeding, fluid, or tumors.
CT vs. X-ray vs. MRI
Much larger than a traditional X-ray machine, CT scanners use a gantry, which is a large metal circle that stands vertically. When receiving a CT scan, the patient lays flat on a bed that moves through the center of the gantry.
While the bed moves horizontally through the gantry, moving X-ray tubes within the gantry rotate around the patient, capturing images from all angles instead of just one, like with a standard X-ray.
This layered, 3D perspective often provides greater clarity than standard X-rays, particularly when evaluating soft tissue, organs, or subtle internal abnormalities. While CT scans offer speed and detailed imaging, they’re just one part of a broader diagnostic landscape. MRIs, for example, may be better suited for certain conditions.
Understanding the distinctions between these tools can be helpful when determining which imaging method is most appropriate.
When Do You Need a CT Scan?
You may need a CT scan if you’re experiencing:
- Severe or persistent abdominal pain
- Head trauma with confusion, dizziness, or loss of consciousness
- Unexplained shortness of breath or chest pain
- High-impact injuries from falls or car accidents
- Symptoms of stroke (e.g., sudden weakness, speech difficulty)
In many of these situations, time matters, and CT imaging can help determine whether you need surgery, medication, or further evaluation.
When your medical urgency calls for more information than a standard static X-ray can provide, a CT scan also assesses the following:
- Broken bones
- Tumors
- Infections
- Blood clots
- Excess fluids
- Cystic fibrosis
- Injuries from trauma
They’re also frequently used to assess symptoms such as unexplained headaches, abdominal pain, or complications following a fall or car accident.
How It Works
As with a standard X-ray, you must be free of metal jewelry or accessories before getting a CT scan.
In some instances, you may be asked to take or be injected with a substance called a contrast medium. When taken by mouth or injected through a vein, a contrast medium will help highlight specific areas to be examined during a CT scan. It could help identify a clot or internal bleeding, among other medical problems.
Having a CT scan taken of your body can take just minutes with our advanced equipment. Once completed, our providers will be able to examine the results on digital images of your internal injuries or ailments.
The CT scan is a very safe and reliable procedure that helps providers at your nearest Urgency Room identify, assess, and treat what could be causing you pain and discomfort.
What to Do If You Need a CT Scan
If you think you may need a CT scan, call ahead to confirm whether a clinic or facility offers advanced imaging.
You can also:
- Contact your primary care provider for a referral
- Visit an emergency room if the symptoms are life-threatening
- Consider an advanced urgent care center, like The Urgency Room, that offers CT scans and has providers who evaluate findings with you
How Long Do CT Scan Results Take?
At The Urgency Room, most CT scan results are available in real-time, within minutes. Our providers can access high-resolution images, evaluate findings, and discuss the next steps with you during your visit.
This rapid diagnostic turnaround is one of the biggest advantages of visiting The Urgency Room compared to traditional ERs or clinics that send scans off-site. It minimizes the time between testing and treatment, which is especially important for conditions that require immediate intervention.
What Can The Urgency Room Do?
While The Urgency Room is designed to handle a wide range of emergency-level concerns, there are a few key limitations to understand.
We do not provide inpatient care or overnight observation. Patients requiring surgery, long-term monitoring, or specialist procedures beyond our scope are promptly transferred to nearby hospitals. This ensures continuity of care when hospitalization is necessary.
We also do not accept ambulance arrivals.
If someone is experiencing a life-threatening event like stroke symptoms, difficulty breathing, or severe chest pain, it’s crucial to call 911 for immediate transport to a full-service emergency department.
Finally, we are not designed for managing chronic conditions or mental health care. While we can treat acute symptoms that arise from chronic issues, ongoing disease management, like medication regulation or routine screenings, should be handled by your primary care physician or specialist.
Knowing what The Urgency Room can and can’t do helps you get the right level of care at the right time. If you’re dealing with unexplained pain, injury, or symptoms that require more than a basic exam, a CT scan could be a key step toward answers.