Is Urgent Care Immune to—or at Risk in—the Ongoing Evolution of the American Workplace?

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the American workplace has been undergone a rapid evolution. At first it was incumbent upon employers to find a way to maximize productivity when many employees were confined to their homes. Needless to say, that was a more viable option for some than others. Urgent care has been in an unusual position in that some team members can work virtually (administrators, telemedicine providers) while others really have to be on site (techs and medical assistants). The tough part is that in the current market, at least for nonclinician jobs, urgent care employers are competing with the likes of Lyft, Amazon, and retailers who are able to offer benefits typically not available to small and mid-size employers. A new poll from the Gallup organization provides some insights into what workers value these days; 64% of U.S. workers surveyed said “a significant increase in income or benefits” would be “very important” in their next job. And 61% said better work–life balance and “personal wellbeing” would be significant to them. While enlightening, the poll wasn’t designed to capture the current urgent care landscape, in which there’s already a national shortage of medical assistants at the same time that operators who increased staff to cope with the Omicron surge are now hesitant to “rightsize” because it’s just so hard to find—and keep—good employees to begin with. JUCM has addressed the challenge of attracting and hanging on to the best urgent care staff, however. You can read Retaining and Developing Your Best Employees in our archive right now.