Urgent Care/Ambulatory Medicine specialists care for patients who have medical needs that arise episodically, but who do not require emergency department treatment. The specialty involves the outpatient care of male and female patients of any age, and includes the evaluation and treatment of such acutely-arising conditions as sore throat, cough, rashes, wounds, eye complaints, fever, allergy symptoms, and mild to moderate infections and injuries.

While urgent care medicine doesn't necessarily include the ongoing care of chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, initial diagnoses of these problems are often made in the urgent care setting, with referral of the patient to a primary care physician for continuity care.

Goals of the American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine:

• Exist as a preeminent national association recognizing Urgent Care/Ambulatory Medicine
• Provide positive and increased recognition of the Ambulatory Care/Acute Care practitioner and his/her vital function in the provision of medical care in the United States
• Formally recognize physicians who meet the high standards set by the American Board of Urgent Care Medicine
• Elevate standards of Ambulatory/Acute Care through basic and advanced education and training
• Serve as a national center for dissemination of Ambulatory Care materials and knowledge through lectures, seminars, conferences, workshops, and publications
• Promote innovations in the field of Urgent Care/Ambulatory Medicine.