| The Boston Globe reports, the PA profession
is projected to become "one of the fastest growing"
health care occupations as physicians' caseloads rise to meet
the needs of the aging baby-boomer population. The number of
PA positions in the U.S. is expected to increase 49% between
2002 and 2012 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Bureau predicts the only health care professions to grow
faster will be medical assistants and network systems and data
communications analysts. The median salary for a PA is $72,457
in 2003. PAs work under the supervision of physicians and perform
medical and surgical procedures such as physical exams and wound
suturing. PA are required to be registered and certified in
the states in which they practice; according to the National
Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. While PA
training programs have increased significantly from 1991 to
2004, the number of students interested in PA programs outpaces
available slots (Bushnell, 6/20)
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