Flu shots used to be easy. When I was a student I could get them at the student center. When I was married to a student, I could still get them at the student center. When I worked for the government and when I worked for a hospital, there were set days I could walk over and get a free flu shot in the middle of my work day. And at our old pediatrician’s office, they gave parents flu shots when they gave them to the kids.
But not anymore. Now my kids have their shots at their fall well-checks. And my husband still gets his from the hospital. But me? No such luck. Setting an appointment at my doctor’s office is a hassle. It should be quick, but so much of the time it’s not.
So when CVS offered me a voucher for a flu shot at Minute Clinic I figured I’d take them up on it to see if they could satisfy my need for speed. I’m out and about with kids. I don’t have the ability to wait around. Were they sure they could meet the needs of this busy mama?
CVS is my drugstore of choice. I am an ExtraBucks junkie. I was happy to give them a chance to impress me. And keep me safe from the flu. Have you HAD the flu recently? It is a lot worse than you think it’s going to be. I get my flu shot every year.
We’ve used Minute Clinic before. They’re a great resource when your doctor’s office is closed on the weekend but you don’t need Urgent Care or an ER. I went in for a strep test earlier this year on a Saturday. In fact, my only problem with Minute Clinic in the past has been that on weekends when I’ve visited they get busy. I’ve been known to get in line and then head over to Dunkin for some food to wait for my turn.
This was my first time using Minute Clinic on a regular day. But I was still nervous. Graham was already home from school. It was nearly 5 pm. And I was bringing my restless preschooler with me with only Thomas the Tank Engine to keep him occupied. It was risky.
When I got there, a woman was ahead of me filling in her information on the touch screen sign-in. But she was called in seconds after she finished. One nice thing about Minute Clinic is you can see where you are on the wait list. And this was a pleasant sight:
My kind of waiting list
I snapped a picture of Graham playing with his trains…
…and wasn’t even done instagramming it before I was called in.
The actual clinic is just like a doctor’s office, but without the table to lay on and no pesky paper robes. You’re not sitting in the middle of the store. It feels very sanitary and doctor-y. I was a little worried about Graham getting into cupboards and cabinets, but it all went by very quickly and he was pretty mesmerized by our nurse. Before we knew it, we were done.
Honestly, I was amazed at how quickly we were in and out. If you want a flu shot in a jif, this is a great way to do it.
Back in the car, Graham gave his review:
I will definitely be back next year.
Thanks to CVS Minute Clinic for giving me a voucher for a free flu shot. I was not compensated for this post and I was under no obligation to blog about it.
The real flu. The flu that those who haven’t truly experienced don’t have a clue what they’re talking about when they “think” they might have the flu. When you have influenza, you KNOW something is very wrong & SUDDENLY feel like you’ve been hit by a truck. A red hot feverish, achy, no rest for the weary truck. I missed 2 weeks of school from it in high school & never, ever want to feel like that again. I was only about 14, but I still remember the first day of it, waking up with a 104 fever & thinking my eyes were going to burn out of my head. Flu shots weren’t as popular back then. But for the last few years, I’ve been offered flu shots & got them. I’m lucky that my mom is a nurse & I can get into her office for them easily (I also happen to usually have a checkup there around flu shot season). But I have always wondered about the CVS thing, so thanks for the input, just in case next year I don’t luck out w/ getting my checkup at flu shot time.