Urgent Care

[Emergent]

Does anyone out there work Urgent Care on a regular basis? I'm considering applying for FM with the hope that I could do mostly Urgent Care work. I wouldn't mind having my own panel of patients a few days a week, but would definitely want to do some UC shifts every week. Does anyone have experience with this? What is the job market like? thanks

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[VA Hopeful Dr]

Does anyone out there work Urgent Care on a regular basis? I'm considering applying for FM with the hope that I could do mostly Urgent Care work. I wouldn't mind having my own panel of patients a few days a week, but would definitely want to do some UC shifts every week. Does anyone have experience with this? What is the job market like? thanks

We just graduated 2 residents who are doing Urgent Care with another 2 third years who were just offered urgent care with some continuity jobs.

 

[AnneMD]

Of course it's possible. Actually, it's better. I do full time primary care and part time urgent care. I've been doing this for the past 2 years. Did part time ER previously, but the shifts were exhausting. The money is definitely better in urgent care/ER route. I get frustrated with the paperwork and the non-compliant patients in primary care. Urgent care gives me the options of fix the problem and move on. The extra income is a bonus too. And even if you do full time primary care, between the physicals and the routine hypertension and diabetic check ups, all you're going to do is urgent care stuff like cough, congestion, runny nose, rashes, etc, etc, etc. Might as well do it and get paid by the hours without the followup responsibility. Good luck.

 

[Emergent]

Thanks for your replies! Do most urgent care jobs look for FM trained folks? Or would IM be sought after for those jobs as well?

 

[AnneMD]

most urgent cares are open 7 days a week for 12 hours a day. they will take anyone who is board certified/eligible and is licensed. specialty doesn't matter. as long as you're comfortable seeing kids. because most urgent care clinics will see kids 12 months and older too. babies are always and usually turfed to pediatrics. therefore family medicine is a plus.

 

[Hootenanny]

bump..

Just wondering if anyone could add the op questions? Has anyone managed to swing urgent care full-time? How much different is the pay?

 

[EdibleEgg]

babies are always and usually turfed to pediatrics.

huh?

 

[deleted6669]

I do some shifts at an urgent care that staffs em pa's and family medicine md's. they schedule us interchangeably. the docs get $80/hr + production and full benefits, we get a bit less..we see all ages and levels of acuity.

 

[docman85]

I am also curious about the typical pts. seen in UC. I realize that the acuity is not as high as an ED but are there many procedures, complicated cases or is it just a clinic for runny noses and cough? I am curious if it is a better lifestyle than EM. (yes I realize I posted this in the FM section)

I am a current 3rd year who was almost completely convinced I was going into EM but have recently started to give FM a good look, and was just curious about a career in UC.

 

[deleted87716]

I haven't posted this one in a while.

 

[markglt]

haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

[docman85]

What are everyone's thoughts on doing FM in Colorado vs EM? Or even doing sports med in CO?

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

Talk to CabinBuilder about FM in CO. I know that the wages in CO are lower than other surrounding states, and I know that the EM work is busy, and really busy depending on the hospital you work in. A friend of mine is the director of the ED at a major trauma hospital, and they're busy all the time. Then there's Denver Health, and they are the top trauma center in ~7 state area... Not sure about sports med, I'm guessing it's busy as well, but as for pay, I couldn't tell you... Like I said, wages in general in CO are lower than many other states...

 

[ghost dog]

I haven't posted this one in a while.

word up.

The typical walk in visit:

Pt:I've been coughing for 7 days, and want an abx.

MD: I think you have acute bronchitis, 95 % of which is viral. I don't think you would benefit from an abx. (Besides the fact that you are 25, healthy, haven't coughed once since you have been in the exam room and your lungs are clear).

Pt: But my usual doc always gives me an abx when I have this, and it does the trick!

MD: head - desk.

Rinse and repeat a bazillion times. I would rather get a shotgun enema than do walk in for a lengthy period of time. It is not Intellectually or clinically satisfying.

 

[Apollyon]

a shotgun enema

This just keeps making me laugh out loud.

 

[ghost dog]

This just keeps making me laugh out loud.

That's how a roll playa !

 

[Nevis]

I have experience in Urgent Care. It is a great way to go for an FP. On average salaries are significantly higher then for output only docs and you have more days off. In the South and in fairly urban areas it is not uncommon to top 200,000 for working 15 days a month. Yes, there is a lot of repetitive crap, but as a poster above mentioned a lot of this same repetitive stuff comes up in the output FM setting as well with a little DM/HTN management and tons of well woman and well child visits throw in. GREAT POINT Anne MD!! A point that is often over looked. In Urgent Care while you may not get to manage pts chronic problems (following DM, HTN, HIgh Cholesterol - most of which is algorithmic and easily picked back up if you ever want to it again) you do pick up a skill set (laceration repair, fracture management, ect...) that a lot of output. FM docs lack. I hope I don't offend anyone, but If you want real intellectual stimulation these days in FM do inpt. or rual medicine or don't do FM at all. Most urban FM is not any more complicated then Urgent Care. If you think mold will grow on your brain in Urgent Care out patient FM isn't much different. Just the medical world we live in now.

 

[ghost dog]

I have experience in Urgent Care. It is a great way to go for an FP. On average salaries are significantly higher then for output only docs and you have more days off. In the South and in fairly urban areas it is not uncommon to top 200,000 for working 15 days a month. Yes, there is a lot of repetitive crap, but as a poster above mentioned a lot of this same repetitive stuff comes up in the output FM setting as well with a little DM/HTN management and tons of well woman and well child visits throw in. GREAT POINT Anne MD!! A point that is often over looked. In Urgent Care while you may not get to manage pts chronic problems (following DM, HTN, HIgh Cholesterol - most of which is algorithmic and easily picked back up if you ever want to it again) you do pick up a skill set (laceration repair, fracture management, ect...) that a lot of output. FM docs lack. I hope I don't offend anyone, but If you want real intellectual stimulation these days in FM do inpt. or rual medicine or don't do FM at all. Most urban FM is not any more complicated then Urgent Care. If you think mold will grow on your brain in Urgent Care out patient FM isn't much different. Just the medical world we live in now.

Pulllezzze...

I find it hard to believe walk ins cast #'s. That's too much like real medicine.

Lacerations ..... maybe. Can I get some oxys + valium with that ?

One of my friends does walk in once a week in a big clinic, and they have an official policy of " no narcs " (nice shiny sign and everything) .

And what happens? Of course, some of these docs give out narcs like a horny , drunken teenage girl throwin out beads at new orleans.

 

[TPBC]

Why do Urgent Care docs make more than FM docs? If a patient sees a FM doc for a cold and gets billed $50.00, wouldn't the same patient get billed $50.00 if he or she saw an Urgent care clinic?

 

[deleted87716]

Why do Urgent Care docs make more than FM docs?

They don't, at least not universally. Most employed urgent care docs are paid by the hour. How much they make depends on how much their employer makes.

A well-run, busy urgent care center can potentially generate higher revenues than a typical family medicine practice due to:

1) Volume (it's not unusual to see 40-50 patients in an 8-hr. day in a busy urgent care center, compared to 25-30 in the typical family medicine practice)
2) Longer hours (nights, weekends, holidays)
3) In-house ancillary services (e.g., "padding the bill" - labs, x-rays, on-site pharmacy, etc.)

 

[ghost dog]

They don't, at least not universally. Most employed urgent care docs are paid by the hour. How much they make depends on how much their employer makes.

A well-run, busy urgent care center can potentially generate higher revenues than a typical family medicine practice due to:

1) Volume (it's not unusual to see 40-50 patients in an 8-hr. day in a busy urgent care center, compared to 25-30 in the typical family medicine practice)
2) Longer hours (nights, weekends, holidays)
3) In-house ancillary services (e.g., "padding the bill" - labs, x-rays, on-site pharmacy, etc.)

Because the "urgent care" doctor will likely script you that zithromax for that pesky cough to get you out in 2 minutes flat.

While the family MD may actually spend a bit more time to explain why 95 % of acute bronchitis is viral and that zippy new abx ain't gonna do squat. 8-10 min visit.

same fee playa.

"padding the bill" - labs, x-rays, on-site pharmacy- haven't heard that one before - just a tad unethical.

 

[Apollyon]

1) Volume (it's not unusual to see 40-50 patients in an 8-hr. day in a busy urgent care center, compared to 25-30 in the typical family medicine practice)

A UC, about 1 mile from a quite comprehensive community hospital (and affiliated with same): 100 patients in 12 hours. Split between a guy I know (who did it as a resident) and a PA.