Emergency Room Minor Care

linda535 · Jun 3, 2009

As a nurse for 27 years, the last 14 working in Urgent Care, I'd strongly recommend working in this area if you want to get lots of experience. If you are looking for an "easy" job, forget it. Urgent Care gets everything from the "warts for 10 years", to the "Acute MI in denial". You WILL learn a lot. Please don't try to take it if you will be on your own right away. You will need lots of OJT (on the job training) with other nurses close by. You also may get ER overflow.

The best thing about "urgent care" is the variety, but that's also the worst. I wish you luck and happiness in your work.

Linda in Washington state

Aneroo, LPN · Jun 3, 2009

What Linda said...

It's a blessing and a curse. It's great because the people with the simple finger lac or twisted ankle have a place to go when the main ED is swamped with MVC's and tele stuff. It sucks b/c it can get very crowded very quick since there is usually only one or two providers, a nurse and a tech (depending on how large the urgent care area is). You still need excellent triage skills, especially if you're in a dependant unit doing your own triage. People will come in thinking it's heartburn and it's really the big one!

ALH2004 · Jun 3, 2009

Thanks for the info. The position is available in a 7 bed minor care unit of the ER. The hours are from 6pm-2am, which is something I could handle because I'm more of a night person. I was just curious about it because I had never really heard of a minor care unit in the ER (most of the hospitals in my area are smaller and this is at a larger one). This will be my first nursing job, and I just want to make the right choice, but I guess it never hurts to apply.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jun 4, 2009

We have a "fast track" section where we put things like lacs and sprains. Sounds kind of like your "minor care" unit. :) However, that side of our ER also has our psych room, isolation room, and ob/gyn room, so some days it can get a bit complicated!

RNmb · Sep 7, 2009

Just looking for some feedback: I recently noticed a job posting in my area for a Lead RN position at an Urgent Care clinic run by one of the biggest clinics in my area. I've been working as a floor nurse for the last 14 months on a surgical telemetry floor and have been doing charge for the last couple of months. Since I am really tired of being in the hospital and the hours would be much better, I am thinking about applying. My only hold up is that I don't know that much about urgent care nursing and what exactly the role of lead RN would be. Would I lose too much of the skills I picked up in the last year? My ultimate goal is to work in public health, but those jobs are scarce in my area right now. Just looking for any kind of feedback anyone can give me. Thanks!