The urgent care center, often shortened to the UCC, is a facility or an area of the hospital that provides treatment to patients outside of normal business hours, such as during the evenings, nights, and weekends.
Unlike the emergency room (ER), the UCC is not for the treatment of life-threatening conditions or injuries. It focuses on the treatment of minor injuries and trauma using medications and medical devices.
If you love the idea of working with patients, you might be wondering what your options are and how you can enter a role within the urgent care center. It’s a highly rewarding area that enables you to improve the lives of so many patients on a daily basis.
There is a wide range of medical staff that works in the urgent care center, from doctors and nurses to practitioners and physician’s assistants. For most roles in the UCC, you will need either a Bachelor’s degree or a college-level qualification in a medicine-based subject.
In this article, we’re going to cover the different kinds of job roles that are in the UCC and the main responsibilities of each one.
Doctor
A range of doctors work in the urgent care center, from newly qualified junior doctors to experienced consultants. No matter what level of ladder you’re on, you will work closely with the rest of the team to no provide care for every patient that walks through the door.
To work as a doctor at the UCC, you will need to have gone to university and obtained a medical degree. You will need to be able to think fast and stay calm in stressful situations.
Nurse
As a nurse, your role is central to the care of every patient in the UCC. You will work with the multidisciplinary team to diagnose conditions and administer medications.
The most important skills to possess as an urgent care center nurse are great communication skills, organization and the ability to prioritize your tasks, and confidence to take the lead and delegate tasks to your team. You may be responsible for organizing a large team of workers, including nursing assistant, practitioners, and therapists.
To work as a nurse, you will need to go to university and get a nursing degree. You can choose to specialize in a certain area of nursing but this isn’t always necessary to work in the urgent care center.
Receptionist
At the entrance of the UCC, there will be a desk where one or two receptionists will sit. The main roles of a receptionist are to welcome patients into the facility, take a few basic details to pass on to the doctors and nurses, and arrange follow-up appointments.
You act as the main form of communication between patients and medical staff until patients are triaged. You will need to have great interpersonal skills to interact with a wide range of people and gather the right information from patients.