Why the Growth of Urgent Care is Opening More Locum Tenens Opportunities

Health Carousel Locum Tenens currently works with the top 3 urgent care companies in the United States on their staffing needs in addition to many more growing urgent care chains and healthcare systems. We have dedicated recruiters and resources for urgent care facilities, allowing us to work quickly to help you with the coverage you need, whether you need short-term coverage or ongoing staffing.

Urgent Care keeps growing

Urgent care is one of the fastest-growing sectors of U.S. healthcare. There are nearly 7,400 urgent care centers in the United States, with 300-600 standalone centers opening each year. More than 20,000 physicians staff these centers. As the number of urgent care centers rapidly expands, the need for physicians to work in this sector become more intense. Moreover, the urgent care market now exceeds $15 billion, growing over 4% per year. Simply put, the growth of urgent care is creating exceptional opportunities for facilities and physicians.

Growth is outstripping physician supply

Market considerations drive the rapid expansion of urgent care centers. Stand-alone urgent care centers and, increasingly, retail clinics are being built in areas that are economically attractive, with adequate population density and relative wealth. For example, most of the growth (about 82%) is occurring in suburban areas in the Midwest and the Sun Belt. What is generally not considered is the availability of physicians to staff the centers. The urgent care franchise mantra of "Build it and they will come" apparently applies to patients and physicians. This creates a shortage of urgent care physicians in many regions of the U.S.

Locum tenens fills a critical staffing gap in urgent care staffing

Of course, each urgent care center will usually be able to generate a core staff of physicians and advanced care practitioners. However, this core staff is often inadequate to serve the needs of the patient population in that respective area. Indeed, if the urgent care center offers after-hours care or even 24/7 coverage, there will be staffing shortfalls. As such, urgent care centers draw heavily on locum tenens physicians to fill these gaps.

Urgent care facilities turn to experienced locum tenens firms to fill their need

If you have a staffing need in your facility, contact the experienced team at Health Carousel Locum Tenens to learn more about how we can help you continue your growth in this booming market.