Nurse Practitioner Pool Continues to Explode; How Many Are Headed for Urgent Care?

There are roughly 22,000 more nurse practitioners in the United States than there were a year ago—and new data from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners indicate the number will continue to rise for the foreseeable future, further suggesting there could be massive growth opportunities in urgent care. Right now, 24% of current NPs say they belong to a private practice; 14% work in hospital outpatient clinics, with another 12% in inpatient hospital units; 8% practice in Federally Qualified Health Centers; and only 4% are in urgent care centers. As you know, our industry continues to evolve, with one current trend being more reliance on advanced practice practitioners (APPs), including NPs and physician assistants. JUCM featured an article that discussed the growing role APPs play in urgent care, to the point that it may be time for a fellowship program that focuses specifically on urgent care. You can read The Case for an Interprofessional, Postgraduate NP/PA Fellowship in Urgent Care in our archive.