What Is It Actually Like Working as a GP in Urgent Care?

Urgent care is becoming an increasingly visible part of Australia's healthcare system, creating another way for GPs to use their skills outside the traditional consulting room.

But what is it actually like to work in an Urgent Care Clinic?

For GPs considering their first urgent care shift, there can be plenty of questions. What patients will you see? How different is it from general practice? Do you need emergency medicine experience? And what does a typical shift actually involve?

Through our Inside Urgent Care series, we've spoken with GPs, clinic operators and urgent care leaders about what working in this growing area of medicine looks like.

Here are some of the things GPs can expect.

Somewhere between general practice and emergency medicine

Urgent care occupies an interesting space in the healthcare system.

Patients typically present with conditions that require timely treatment but aren't considered life-threatening emergencies. Unlike traditional general practice, appointments are generally not booked in advance, with patients presenting for same-day care and being triaged according to clinical need.

Associate Professor John Adie, Urgent Care Clinic Training and Education Lead at ForHealth Group, previously described the work to DXC as:

“Predominantly general practice, but without booked appointments.”

That distinction makes a considerable difference to the working day.

Rather than knowing what your appointment book looks like in advance, you'll be responding to the patients and presentations that arrive throughout your shift.

What kinds of patients will you see?

Variety is one of the defining features of urgent care.

Depending on the clinic, presentations can include:

➜ Sprains and suspected fractures➜ Lacerations and wound management
➜ Minor infections
➜ Respiratory presentations
➜ Gastroenteritis and dehydration
➜ Migraines
➜ Skin conditions
➜ Minor procedures
➜ Acute flare-ups of existing conditions
➜ Patients requiring urgent assessment or diagnostics

Some clinics also have access to services such as on-site imaging, pathology and dedicated treatment areas, allowing GPs to investigate and manage presentations that may be difficult to accommodate within a traditional general practice setting.

For experienced GP Dr Siva, this was one of the things he enjoyed most when he began picking up urgent care shifts after more than 14 years in traditional general practice.

“General practice is all about continuity of care, but you do miss some of the acute and urgent presentations,” he told DXC. “Urgent care felt like a good fit, I could keep my regular GP work, but also practise skills I hadn’t used in a long time.”

You'll use a different part of your clinical skill set

Working in urgent care doesn't mean leaving your general practice skills behind.

In fact, many of the foundations remain the same: strong clinical judgement, communication, managing uncertainty and knowing when a patient needs escalation.

The difference is often in the type and immediacy of the presentation.

GPs may find themselves suturing a wound, assessing a possible fracture or managing an acute illness rather than spending the day predominantly focused on chronic disease management and continuity-based care.

For doctors who have previously worked in emergency departments, hospitals or rural medicine, urgent care can also provide an opportunity to reconnect with procedural and acute-care skills they may use less frequently in everyday general practice.

The nurses play a big role

One thing that has come through consistently in our conversations about urgent care is the importance of the wider clinical team.

Experienced nursing teams typically play an important role in triage, patient flow and clinical support.

When Dr Siva picked up shifts at a newly opened Urgent Care Centre, he was the only doctor working at the time but described having “excellent nursing support”.

At Kinkaya Health Urgent Care in WA, Operations Manager Liz Zerovich similarly described a model where experienced nurses lead structured triage, with doctors, nurses and other team members working closely together to assess, treat and discharge patients efficiently.

For GPs accustomed to working relatively independently behind the consulting-room door, the collaborative nature of urgent care can be a noticeable difference.

There's usually a clear beginning and end to the shift

Urgent care is typically shift-based, which can be one of its attractions for GPs.

Clinics may operate extended hours, weekends and public holidays, creating options outside the traditional Monday-to-Friday working week.

For some GPs, that means working predominantly in urgent care. For others, it can mean adding one or two urgent care shifts alongside their regular general practice commitments.

Dr Siva found this flexibility particularly valuable around family life, with the option of early, late or weekend shifts.

It's one reason urgent care can lend itself well to a blended GP career rather than necessarily being an either/or decision between urgent care and traditional general practice.

The pace can be different

While urgent care doesn't deal with the same level of acuity as an emergency department, it can still be a fast-moving clinical environment.

Patient numbers can fluctuate, presentations aren't necessarily predictable and decisions often need to be made efficiently.

That means doctors need to be comfortable with uncertainty and recognising the limits of what can safely be managed within the clinic.

Liz Zerovich told us that urgent care requires “strong clinical judgement, comfort with uncertainty, and the ability to manage acuity in a resource-conscious environment.”

At the same time, many presentations have a relatively immediate outcome. A patient comes in with an injury or acute illness, is assessed and treated, and can often leave with a clear management plan within the same shift.

For doctors who enjoy problem-solving and seeing tangible outcomes, that can be particularly rewarding.

What about continuity of care?

This is an important distinction for GPs considering urgent care.

Traditional general practice is built heavily around relationships and continuity: knowing your patients, managing chronic conditions and caring for people over many years.

Urgent care serves a different purpose.

You're generally treating the immediate problem before the patient returns to their regular GP for ongoing care where required.

That doesn't mean the two models are disconnected.

Dr Siva explained that patients at the centre where he worked received discharge documentation and were directed back to their regular GP for follow-up.

Urgent care therefore isn't necessarily a replacement for traditional general practice. Instead, it can sit alongside it, providing timely treatment for urgent presentations while maintaining a connection back to ongoing primary care.

Do you need emergency medicine experience?

Previous emergency, hospital or acute-care experience can certainly be useful, particularly when it comes to managing injuries, procedures and undifferentiated presentations.

However, urgent care is also fundamentally GP-led care.

The skills developed through general practice – clinical judgement, recognising deterioration, communication, risk management and managing a broad range of presentations – are highly relevant.

Some doctors may want additional training or a refresher in areas such as suturing, fracture management, ECG interpretation, wound care or IV therapies before making urgent care a regular part of their working week.

Ultimately, the experience and requirements will also depend on the individual clinic and position.

Could urgent care fit into your GP career?

Perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions about urgent care is that choosing it means moving away from general practice.

For many doctors, it's quite the opposite.

Urgent care can provide an opportunity to introduce something different into the working week: more acute presentations, procedural work, a team-based environment and defined shifts, while still continuing traditional general practice.

As Dr Siva put it after experiencing urgent care firsthand:

“I loved it, professionally and personally. It worked financially, it was satisfying, and it gave me something different from my regular work.”

For GPs who enjoy variety, acute presentations and hands-on clinical work, it could be another way to shape a career around the parts of medicine they enjoy most.

Interested in working in Urgent Care?

DXC Medical Recruitment works with Urgent Care Clinics across Australia, with opportunities available for GPs looking to explore casual, locum and perm urgent care work.

Whether you're considering your first urgent care shift or looking to make it a regular part of your working week, our team can talk you through current opportunities and what to expect.

Explore our current Urgent Care GP jobs or contact the DXC Medical Recruitment team to find out more.

Amy Sullivan
Senior Consultant
+61 416 370 196
amy.sullivan@dxcmedical.com.au