NSU’s Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences PA - Fort Lauderdale

4 | Physician Assistant Program PA PROFESSION TRENDS Did You Know? Today there are more than 100,000 nationally certified physician assistants (PAs) , according to the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. POSITIVE TRENDS Employment of PAs is expected to grow 37 percent from 2016 to 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, as published in the 2017 Occupational Outlook Handbook . The need for primary health care providers and PAs continues to rise, due to • the increasing number of physicians entering specialty areas of medicine • a growing and aging population • an increasing number of people with access to health insurance • the cost-effectiveness of PAs OPPORTUNITY As governments grapple with the problems of providing quality medical care in a cost-effective manner, one solution is the team approach to health care—a team that includes PAs.