The receptionist _ran_ to the back to get a doctor. The doctor, in an exam room, very careful, and with significant compassion, explained that they don't have the ability to treat me at that location -- but would I accept an ambulance if they called it?
I took an Uber to the ER, where the admitting nurse gave me a flat stare and said "That's not a hallucination," but still put me at the front of the line to have an attending doctor and a bunch of students stare into my eyeballs before confirming that it was a headacheless migraine.
To this day, I use that experience as an example of a lay person and a professional completely failing to understand each others' word choice.
I had insurance partnered with my university. I went to the uni clinic due to a headache and fever so I could get some ibuprofen. They had no capacity to perform any tests and told me I needed to goto the hospital. They ordered an ambulance and said I needed to sign a waiver if I refused them. I had no idea what the impact would be to my insurance so I went along with it. At the hospital ER they hooked me up to IV immediately and then said I needed a spinal tap to check for meningitis because they couldn't explain the fever. I asked to leave, but nobody came to unhook me from the IV or bring my belongings back. They then guided me to another room after an hour or so with 5 people in it. I asked to leave immediately, and they said I could have a life threatening case and I needed to sign a waiver if I left. Apparently they were bringing another doctor from another hospital as emergency to do the test. This time I called my family for advice and signed the form but they were very pushy. The headache and fever were gone the next day. This experience has scarred me from going to U.S. healthcare to this day.
Not my experience. Every time I've gone to urgent care I am always seen by a MD.