Sumo Medial Staffing

It’s an unwritten rule that unexpected illness or injury seems to occur at the most inopportune times – and almost always on a holiday weekend or after 5 p.m., as soon as your primary physician’s office closes. 

That’s one of reasons walk-in clinics or after hour urgent cares have seen rapid growth all over the U.S. in the past decade.  

Though urgent care facilities aren’t equipped to take care of life-threatening emergencies such as heart attack, stroke and trauma, they can assist in non-life-threatening injuries or illnesses requiring attention. Plus, they are designed to care for patients quickly and most of time, at a cost much more affordable than a trip to the emergency room.  

Industry Growth

As of July 2023, there were 14,382 urgent care centers in the U.S. That number has grown significantly since 2015, when the industry reported 6,707 such facilities. So as urgent care centers play a critical role in providing urgent and primary care services – which relieves crowded emergency rooms in communities all over the country – it also shows that on-demand, convenient, skilled and affordable healthcare is a service customers want. 

Demand for Providers

The staffing model varies from one urgent care to another. Most of the time, there will be a physician on site, a nurse and in some instances, a nurse practitioner or physician assistant. (In 2009, 70 percent of urgent care providers were physicians, but that number has fallen to 16 percent in recent years.) Some of these roles may be filled by local, long-term clinic employees, but in many instances, they are routinely filled by locum tenens professionals.  

In fact, some urgent care centers are turning to locum tenens providers as they try to keep up with demand. According to the Urgent Care Association, patient volume has jumped 60 percent since 2019. Experts say urgent care continues to grow because of gaps in primary care – there’s an estimated shortage of 55,000 primary care physicians in the next decade – the high cost of emergency room visits and increased investment by health systems. 

Career Choice

As a locum tenens urgent care provider, you’re able to bring convenience and quality care to individuals who might not otherwise seek healthcare due to work schedules, long wait times or cost. It’s also true that in some instances, patients who arrive seeking care for a non-urgent matter are diagnosed with a bigger issue – meaning urgent care providers can quite literally be life savers. 

Take the Next Step

Locum tenens has truly become a popular career choice for medical professionals seeking a flexible schedule, great pay and the power to chart their own professional path.  

Once you’ve decided to explore your options as a locum urgent care provider, you want to make sure to find a medical staffing company you can trust. SUMO Medical Staffing has a proven track record in helping healthcare professionals find locum jobs that best fit their specific needs. Our staffing representatives are ready to discuss your career goals and future. Request a consultation with a locum tenens staffing specialist today.