Where should you take your child for medical care when he or she is ill or injured? How do you decide whether to go to Pediatric Acute Care or Urgent Care or the Emergency Department?

If you think your child is experiencing a life-threatening or severe condition, call 911 or go directly to the Emergency Department.

See information about online check-in for minor medical needs.

Emergency Department

The Emergency Department treats children and adults with conditions that need immediate attention, ranging from simple but pressing injuries such as a cut that needs stitches to a life-threatening head injury. Pediatric specialists, trained in emergency medicine, are available 24 hours a day.

For Minor Medical Needs

Pediatric Urgent Care

Pediatric Urgent Care treats children with illnesses or injuries that aren't considered emergencies but require attention. Urgent Care is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., daily, including weekends and holidays.

The clinic is open to the public. No appointment is necessary.

For Urgent Care, go to the Emergency Department registration window. The Urgent Care Clinic is located in the Emergency Department. Our team includes pediatricians and pediatric nurses trained in urgent care.

Pediatric Acute Care

Pediatric Acute Care is available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday for children with minor illnesses or injuries such as a cough, earache or sprained ankle. To make an appointment, your child must have a pediatrician or primary care doctor at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital at Parnassus, UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion or Lakeshore Family Medical Center.

Parents can speak to an advice nurse who will provide assistance or help schedule a same-day appointment.

Pediatric Acute Care is offered at two locations:

• Parnassus — 400 Parnassus Ave., Second Floor, advice nurse (415) 353-2001
• Mount Zion — 2330 Post St., Suite 320, advice nurse (415) 885-7478

During evenings, weekends and holidays, Pediatric Urgent Care is available.

Online Check-in for Minor Medical Needs

For minor medical needs, Pediatric Urgent Care offers a free, online service called InQuickER that allows parents to hold a place in line for their children. You can check-in online while at home, choose an available time for your child to be seen in Urgent Care and arrive at the hospital at a projected treatment time.

When to Call 911

Do you know when to call 911 or take your child to the Emergency Department?

Dr. Steven Polevoi, medical director of the Emergency Department at UCSF Medical Center, advises that parents trust their instincts. "If you feel that it's truly a medical emergency, seek immediate medical care," he said. "But if you're not sure, it's always a good idea to call the child's pediatrician for advice."

Polevoi offers the following recommendations, based on guidelines from the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Call 911 if your child:

• Has difficulty breathing, stops breathing or experiences shortness of breath
• Becomes unconscious
• Has uncontrolled, major bleeding
• Is unable to stand up or is unsteady walking
• Has a seizure that lasts more than one minute

Get immediate medical attention if your child experiences:

• Change in behavior or strange or withdrawn behavior
• Excessive irritability or feeding difficulties (babies)
• Fever, especially if accompanied by change in behavior
• Increasing or severe pain that hasn't been previously present
• New rash
• Persistent vomiting or diarrhea
• Severe headache, neck pain or stiffness
• Severe medical condition, including traumatic injury
• Skin or lip color changes (dark, purplish, blue)