It's National NP Week and you NPs working in convenient care are especially appreciated, because without you the clinics you work in couldn't exist. Convenient care clinic operators value what you do, and not just from a business perspective. Take a look at what Take Care Health Systems has to say about you (from a Walgreens press ...

An interesting way to look at convenient care is that it's a new brand of healthcare. The blog brandSTOKE posted about this concept recently in ''Retail clinics vs. your doctor: it may come down to branding.'' The post very concisely explains the reasons for the fall of traditional practices that aren't stepping up to the new focus on patients' ...

This week I attended a forum in Philadelphia held by the Convenient Care Association (CCA). It was designed to address where convenient care is positioned now and where it's headed. In terms of presenters and panel participants, the cast was star-studded: Sandy Ryan, chief nurse practitioner officer for Take Care Health Systems, Web Golinkin, CEO ...

Hey, convenient care NPs! Are you close to the Philadelphia area? Are you interested in getting engaged in the conversation about where retail healthcare is going? Is it expanding? Is it a dying fad? There's a free way to learn more: On October 26th, the Convenient Care Association is cohosting a forum to discuss issues and trends in the industry. ...

During this last month we have been overrun with patients seeking flu shots and seeing patients with colds, strep throat and flu. I have seen some folks who are very ill and without doubt have influenza. But mainly I have seen the worried sick. People who have upper respiratory symptoms and know they are victims of ''swine flu.'' One little ...

  Friday's New York Times article about retail clinics titled ''A Quick Trip to the Store for Milk and a Throat Swab'' asked readers to comment on their Well Blog about retail healthcare and nurse practitioners. And they sure did. It's worth it to read some of the discussion to stay informed about what misperceptions the public and ...

Wow, what a rush!  We started administering flu shots in our retail clinics Septemter 1st, and have been extremely busy this season thus far, and it is not even really prime flu shot season yet. I believe there are two reasons to explain the large numbers of patients looking for an early flu shot. The first is everyone has flu ...

Since the beginning of the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic, the public has relied on retail clinic practitioners to provide education, guidance, testing, assurance and treatment. The media is playing a vital role in keeping the public updated; however, I am not sure if this is helpful or harmful. The public is hearing with only half an ear, only ...

This is my third year working in a retail clinic. And considering that the concept is new, I feel like a veteran. And as a veteran retail clinician, I have learned a few things about myself and about healthcare in the United States and about working for a for-profit corporation. I will begin with myself since I am a person in a society ...

Mentions of nurse practitioners in the popular press seems to be all retail health, all the time. Consumers could be excused for thinking that all NPs work in retail clinics. However, less than 4% of NPs work in convenient care settings. That's according to 2,781 responses so far to the 2009 National Salary and Workplace Survey of Nurse ...