Urgent Care Practice Standards

Urgent care practitioners are typically trained in family practice, pediatric, internal and emergency medicine and do not need to be certified to practice urgent care medicine. However, there is a board-certification process.

Certification

• Urgent care physicians are certified by the American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine (AAUCM). The purpose of certification is to prove that a physician has the appropriate knowledge and skills to successfully work in an urgent care environment.

Exam

• Obtaining certification requires taking an exam. Candidates must first submit an application to the board and receive approval to sit for the exam. The electronically administered exam consists of 225 multiple-choice questions covering general medicine, pediatrics, surgery, pharmacology, public health, risk management and occupational medicine --- areas often encountered in the field.

Eligibility for Certification

• An applicant must have a current unrestricted medical license, graduated from an approved medical program, completed residency in an approved setting, completed 100 hours of Category 1 Continuing Medical Education averaged over the past two years, practiced at least five years in urgent care and be known to be medically ethical.