Urgent Care Clinics are becoming an increasingly important part of Australia’s healthcare system, helping to bridge the gap between traditional general practice and hospital emergency departments.
To better understand how urgent care works in practice, and what it offers doctors, we spoke with an experienced Urgent Care Clinic Medical Director, who shared insights into the model, the skills required, and why urgent care is proving so appealing to both clinicians and patients.
What Is the Urgent Care Model?
At its core, the urgent care model is designed to manage non-life-threatening but time-sensitive presentations, efficiently, safely, and accessibly.
Unlike traditional general practice, urgent care clinics operate on a walk-in basis, with extended opening hours and a strong focus on acute presentations. Many clinics also offer on-site radiology, streamlined referral pathways, and clearly defined clinical protocols.
Urgent care differs from after-hours clinics by offering a broader clinical scope during both daytime and evening hours, and by operating under a standardised, accredited model with clear vocational registration requirements for doctors.
While general practice manages a wide range of conditions, often more than 100, urgent care clinics focus on a more targeted scope, typically covering around 30 common conditions. Despite this narrower focus, these presentations account for a significant proportion of patient demand, with urgent care clinics managing approximately two-thirds of these cases.
Integrating Urgent Care with Primary Care
One of the most effective urgent care models in Australia is one that operates in close integration with primary care.
According to the Medical Director, this approach allows for:
This integrated model contrasts with the freestanding urgent care clinics common in the United States, as well as the hospital-based urgent care services often seen in the UK.
When urgent care and general practice work together, patients benefit from continuity of care, and doctors are better supported with infrastructure, systems, and clinical governance.
Why Doctors Are Choosing to Work in Urgent Care
From a clinician’s perspective, urgent care offers a compelling alternative to traditional general practice.
One of the biggest advantages is the ability to focus purely on clinical work. Doctors are not responsible for the administrative, business, or ongoing patient management obligations that often come with practice ownership or partnership.
Other key benefits include:
For many doctors, urgent care provides the opportunity to maintain strong acute care skills, work in a fast-paced environment, and enjoy greater work-life balance.
What Skills Are Needed to Work in Urgent Care?
When recruiting for urgent care roles, the Medical Director looks for doctors who are clinically confident and comfortable managing acute presentations independently.
Ideal candidates often have at least six months’ experience in one or more of the following settings:
Key clinical skills include:
While urgent care clinics offer strong clinical support, doctors must be capable of making decisions and acting independently when required.
Looking Ahead: Growing Opportunities in Urgent Care
With urgent care clinics continuing to expand across Australia, opportunities for GPs in this space are growing rapidly, both in permanent and locum roles.
At DXC Medical, we’re actively working with urgent care providers to identify suitable doctors, support onboarding, and help clinicians understand whether urgent care aligns with their skills, experience, and career goals.
Whether you’re coming from general practice, emergency medicine, or rural health, urgent care may offer the clinical variety, structure, and balance you’re looking for.
Search our latest Urgent Care Jobs here.
Urgent care clinics are becoming an increasingly important part of Australia’s healthcare landscape, offering patients timely access to care while providing GPs with a dynamic and rewarding clinical environment.
