Weve all was right here: Were in need of birth control, an STD test or something else seems a little~ funky ~, and we know we need to see about it.
But after calling your gyno to try to set up an appointment, you read shes booked up for weeks. What other options do you have now?
Well, believe it or not, you could nip these issues in the bud while perusing the aisles of your local CVS Pharmacy. Yes, you are all now lords of multi-tasking.
In all seriousness, though, you are not able to have realized that select CVS and Target locatings actually have a built-in MinuteClinic, a retail medical clinic, where certified clinicians give quick health care services you didnt even know you needed.
Just in time for National Womens Health Week( which should be EVERY WEEK, my ladies ), Meredith M. Dixon, FNP-BC, MSN, MBA, MinuteClinic Associate Chief Nurse Practitioner Officer, spoke to Elite Daily to explain how CVS MinuteClinic is helping women prioritize their health 😛 TAGEND
What kinds of womens sexual health services does MinuteClinic offer?
So in terms of womens health, we find women who present for any type of acute illness as well as other services things that could be centered around wellness or prevention, Dixon says.
In terms of specific sexual health services ladies might be seeking out, she elaborates,
They might be looking for minds around contraceptive care. They might be inquiring about vaccines that are related to womens health, particularly the HPV vaccine. They might want to know if theyre pregnant. They might be presenting with a UTI or bladder infection or a yeast infection. And just recently, weve been working with the CDC to think about behaviors we can make an impact in the area surrounding STDs.
Despite offering quick services, Dixon also explains that part of a MinuteClinic clinicians approach to treating a patient islooking at the patient holistically, and evaluation are based on that individuals patient history.
Specifically, how does MinuteClinic approach birth control and STD tests?
Essentially, get birth control by popping into a MinuteClinic is just as accessible, EDUCATIONAL and personalized as a gyno visit.
While you do have to be 18 years or older to get birth control without a parent or guardian present( though, the rulesmay differ depending on your country ), Dixon mentions the board-certified family nurse practitioner or physician assistantsat MinuteClinic will help a woman picked a birth control based on what makes appreciation for them in their plan.
In terms of what kind of birth control options are offered, she explains,
We can offer either a pill, a patch, a resound, or an injection. It just really depends on how active the person is. Some of their medical record might keep us from prescribing one versus another.
When the time comes to STDs/ STIs, Dixon says that understanding safe sex practices and talking to them about those sorts of things are important. And MinuteClinic understands the best interests of being able to open up that talk and ask the questions, especially for women.
About STD testing, she explains,
[ We can tell them ], We can screen you for these sort of things and make it easy. Particularly around chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis those are exams that we can offer now So they could come in and talk to us about that, and we could order those screening tests.
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How does this was different from a regular OB-GYN visit?
If youre a big worrywart( like me ), and some professional reassurance that something dreadful isnt wrong with you would be ideal( again, like me ), a MinuteClinic clinician can help you out with things like pregnancy exams, screenings and other general wellness checkups.
However, in situations where you read there might be something you really should have checked out by your gyno or by a primary care doctor( like an actual pelvic exam ), MinuteClinic will point you in the right direction.
Were not set up to do pelvic exams like you would find typically in an OB-GYN setting, Dixon explains.
She adds, Assessing whats really going on with such person or persons at that moment in time will help us get them to where they might need to be in a quicker fashion.
Dixon also offers the instance,
If someone just found out theyre pregnant, and we give them that news, then we would recommend, Hey, you need to get in to your primary care or your OB within this certain time frame. We try to give them education around what the timeframe would be based on what their personal situation is.
How does MinuteClinic promote the ease of access to womens health care?
In the particularly tumultuous health care climate currently, a pressing issue for a lot of women is how accessible health care services will be, especially given how many ladies already have trouble get in to insure an OB-GYN or accessing women health centers.
Dixon have emphasized that MinuteClinic makes accessible, affordable and approachable service its top priority.
And no, this isnt just for women in their late 20 s and 30 s, as Dixon mentions MinuteClinic also caters to younger women who might otherwise have a more difficult time fastening an appointment with an OB-GYN. She explains,
When you think about some of the ages where women start to get their pelvic exam, its typically done when they are age 21 and up. If you have a female that might be between 18 and 21, Ive even heard that theyve had challenges get in to be seen and just wanting to talk about sexual health or contraceptive care those sorts of things. I think we fill that gap pretty nicely.
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With MinuteClinic locations all over the US, you pretty much have no apologize NOT to pop in for a quick evaluation, especially with their digital services.
We have introduced on our website the ability for patients to comprise their places in line, Dixon mentions, adding, And in the future, were rolling out their capacity to volume that appointment[ online] as well. You can also hold your place in line with the CVS Pharmacy app.
MinuteClinics are also accessible every day of the week AND on nighttimes and weekends, so if youre prone to mid-afternoon health freak-outs on Saturdays, you can literally just walk into CVS or Target to ease your worries.
And if youre concernedabout expense, dont fret. Were a network with all the major insurance programmes, so most insurances are accepted. And if people dont have insurance, we are genuinely find ourselves to be much lower cost than other options, Dixon says.
Now, theres excuse not to prioritize your health. And if you needed any more convincing, Im pretty sure when Destinys Child sang, Ladies, leave your boy at home, they meant to finish it with make were going to CVS so we can stay on top of our health.
Beyoncs ever right, ladies.
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