High school student touts SameDay Health & Imaging care
When Brett Oetken slipped and fell on the ice at school, he knew he had injured himself beyond a couple bumps or bruises.
“I was at school and slipped on the ice on my way in,” Brett said recently. “At that point I was really worried about it because I wasn’t able to put any pressure on it or bend it at all.”
Following the fall, Brett went to the school nurse’s office and then called his mother and asked about getting his knee checked out that day. Brett’s mom, Erin Oetken, called ahead as they made their way across town to SameDay Health & Imaging, a Sheridan Memorial Hospital clinic located between Walmart and WyoVision. The clinic offers urgent care, imaging and laboratory services seven days a week.
Within a few minutes of arriving, the medical staff were examining Brett’s knee.
“I thought it was really fast and convenient, because within an hour of me falling on the ice and hurting my knee, I was getting seen by a doctor and about to get an X-ray,” Brett said. “This injury happened in the middle of my track season, so I was really concerned about it.”
Brett saw Dr. Christopher Prior, one of two physicians at SameDay Health & Imaging who work alongside a team of advanced practitioners, nurses, phlebotomists, imaging technicians and others who ensure each patient receives excellent, patient-centered care. During his visit, he received an X-ray to check for more serious injuries, an option available right there in the clinic.
Brett and his family had opted to see the team at SameDay Health & Imaging due to a prior experience at the clinic. Brett’s sister, Sheridan High School athlete Becca Oetken, had also utilized the clinic’s services for injuries and had been happy with the experience.
“Dr. Prior did a really good job explaining my treatment options,” Brett shared. “He told me that it would heal on its own and there’s no surgery required, which I was kind of worried about. Then he was looking at the X-rays with me so I could assess it with him. He made me feel very involved in the whole process.”
Dr. Prior had advised Brett that his knee would likely take nine or 10 days to heal, and right around that timeframe, Brett said he started feeling more confident in his injured leg. He eased back into his athletic activities and noted that within 15 days he felt back to lifting weights and running.
“I’m so grateful to the team at SameDay Health & Imaging because they were quick to see me and provided me with the care I needed to get back to sports,” Brett said.
SameDay Health & Imaging is open seven days a week, Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For additional information about the clinic, see sheridansameday.org.