Formal training in academic pediatric urgent care is a relatively new concept, but it is one that is rapidly gaining popularity due to consumer demand for low-cost convenient care.

As of 2017, there were 7,639 urgent care centers in the United States, with 21% dedicated to the treatment of pediatric patients. This rapid growth of urgent care centers has resulted in an increased need for urgent care providers, and has led to the development of fellowships focused on efficient evidence-based urgent care management.

In an article published in the Journal of Pediatrics, Deena D. Berkowitz, M.D., M.P.H., medical director of Fast Track Services and co-director of the Children’s National Hospital Urgent Care Fellowship, and Haroon Shaukat, M.D., assistant program director of the Children’s National Hospital Urgent Care Fellowship, and their colleagues summarized the current state and future direction formal training in academic pediatric urgent care. The authors conclude that “systematic training in acute ambulatory pediatric care will advance high quality clinical care and research on patient care, scope, and outcomes in pediatric urgent care.”