Nurses and nurse practitioners make up vital parts of the urgent care medical team. What do they do in a day? Here is a look at the nurses’ experience from Mizzvaine, an urgent care nurse practitioner and YouTube creator.
Long Hours, Varied Cases
Shifts are usually 12 hours long.
In that time, the nurse sees anywhere from 30 to 100 patients, sometimes more. In urgent care, time is of the essence, so nurses may need to see about 10 patients an hour in order to make sure everyone gets started with treatment. Types of cases that an urgent care clinic treats, as opposed to a hospital’s emergency room, include minor injuries, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, basic vaccinations, sprains, bad allergic reactions, and asthma attacks. Each day brings an unpredictable mix of medical challenges for nurses and nurse practitioners. Summer tends to bring more sports injuries than winter.
Making the Most of Small Spaces
Urgent care clinics are not as large as hospitals, but not as small as some doctors’ offices. Most procedures and treatments are carried out in single rooms. Each room is well-stocked with medical supplies, sanitizing supplies, and an examining table. Another room holds refrigerated medications, while another room is for X-rays. In between patients, there is plenty of paperwork and entering data on computers. Each day is very busy and the shift often flies by.
