The Royal New Zealand College of Urgent Care is responsible for training doctors and maintaining professional standards in urgent care.
Urgent care medicine (formerly known as accident and medical practice) is the primary care of patients on an after-hours or non-appointment basis, where continuing medical care is not provided. Urgent care is the branch of medicine that covers the treatment of accidents and urgent medical problems in the community.
Of the 36 branches of medicine recognised by the Medical Council of New Zealand, urgent care is the 12th largest by Fellow numbers (similar in size to orthopaedic surgery and public health), and the second largest by face-to-face patient consultations.