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Worldwide, the PA concept is being explored in and Australia where a similar pilot project is happening; and in South Africa, and the Netherlands, where a physician assistant training program is underway.[http://www.aapa.org/international/global-applicability-poster05.pdf EMPLOYMENT According to the on entry; many more are seeking Accreditation at the master's level. Physician assistants filled about 65,000 positions in 2005. The number of positions is greater than the number of practicing PAs because some hold two or more positions . For example, some PAs work with a supervising physician, but also work in another practice, clinic, or hospital. According to the 2005 PA census from the American Academy of Physician Assistants , just over 56 percent of PAs worked in the offices and clinics of physicians, either Allopathic or Osteopathic . About 40 percent were employed by Hospital s. The rest were mostly in public health clinics, nursing homes, schools, prisons, home health care agencies, and the United States Department Of Veterans Affairs . According to the American Academy of Physician Assistants, about 17 percent of all PAs provide health care to Rural communities and those with fewer than 20,000 residents, in which physicians may be in limited supply. The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that employment of physician assistants is expected to grow "much faster than average for all occupations through the year 2014, ranking among the fastest growing occupations," due to several factors, including an expanding health care industry, an aging baby-boomer population, concerns for cost containment, and newly-implemented restrictions to shorten physician residency workhours. According to the BLS, the physician assistant profession is the fourth fastest growing occupation in America, based on anticipated growth between 2004 and 2014 [http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco2003.htm . ''Money'' Magazine, in conjunction with Salary.com, lists physician assistant as the "fifth best job in America" based on salary and job prospects, with an anticipated 10-year job growth of 49.65% for the profession CNNMoney.com reports that the physician assistant profession is the fastest growing profession in the United States [http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/snapshots/5.html . According to the American Academy of Physician Assistants, in 2006 the mean total income for physician assistants working at least 32 hours per week is $84,396 Physician assistants in surgical subspecialties can earn above $100,000, with the mean total income for PAs working at least 32 hours per week in cardiovascular/cardiothoracic surgery listed as $104,681 for the year 2006 [http://www.aapa.org/research/specialty-reports-2006/index.html . EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATION In 2006, there are more than 130 accredited PA programs in the United States.[http://www.paeaonline.org/ProgListing.asp] They are all accredited by one body the [http://www.arc-pa.org Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant](ARC-PA). A majority of them are Master's Degree programs ( MS , MPAS , MHS, MMS, MCMSc ) (requiring GRE or MCAT for entry), but some are available as an Undergraduate Major as a bachelor's or associate's degree [http://www.aapa.org/gandp/issuebrief/education.pdf]. A number of these undergraduate programs are making a transition to graduate level training. A Physician Assistant may use the Post-nominal initials PA, PA-C, RPA or RPA-C, where the C indicates "Certified" and the R indicates "Registered." The "R" designation is unique to a few states; most Physician Assistants use the PA-C. During training Physician Assistant students have the designation PA-S; where the "S" indicates their role as a student. The use of the "PA-C" is limited only to those physician assistants certified and currently in compliance with the regulations of one certifying body, the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).'Every two years, a PA must earn and log 100 CME hours and reregister her/his certificate with the NCCPA (second and fourth years), and by the end of the sixth year, recertify by successfully completing the Physician Assistant National Recertifying Examination (PANRE).[http://www.aapa.org/glance.html] SCOPE OF PRACTICE Physician assistants are licensed to practice medicine with physician supervision. They obtain medical histories and perform examinations, order treatments, diagnose illnesses, prescribe medication, interpret diagnostic tests, refer patients to specialists when appropriate and first assist in surgery. The education of a physician assistant is a generalist approach, but is based on the medical school model [http://www.aapa.org/geninfo1.html , although unlike medical school (which is four years in duration), PA programs are two to three years in duration. PAs may practice in general medicine or any medical or surgical specialty. PA's can change specialties and have the ability to work throughout their career in different medical/surgical specialties. According to the AAPA, PAs must always work with physician supervision. That supervision can be in person, telecommunication systems or other means deemed reliable.[http://www.aapa.org/gandp/chart_cosignature.html THE MILITARY PA Army PAs typically serve as , Alaska , Hawaii , Germany , Italy , Korea or wherever the mission goes. These units include mechanized or light Infantry , Armor ed Cavalry , Airborne or, if qualified, Special Forces . Regardless of where assigned, they serve the “front line” of Army medicine and are responsible for the total health care of soldiers assigned to that unit, as well as their family members. PAs also serve in the Air Force and Navy as clinical practitioners and Aviation Medicine specialists. The skill set for military PAs is similar to that of PAs working in a clinical environment, however additional training is needed in the areas of Advanced Casualty Care, Medical Management of Chemical Injuries, Aviation Medicine and other specialties as the assignment may require[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textbook_of_Military_Medicine . In addition, military PAs are also required to meet the officer commissioning requirements and maintain the professional and physical readiness standards of their respective service. HISTORY OF PAS The Physician Assistant profession has its beginnings with the highly trained Hospital Corpsmen of the Vietnam War era. Dr. Eugene Stead of the Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina put together the first class of PAs in 1965 , to expand the availability of medical care in the face of a shortage of primary care physicians. For his first class, he selected former Navy corpsmen, who had received considerable medical training during their military service and during the War In Vietnam but who had no comparable civilian employment or equivalent. He based the curriculum of the PA program in part on his knowledge of the fast-track training of medical doctors during World War II . The Duke University Medical Center Archives has established the Physician Assistant History Center , dedicated to the study, preservation, and presentation of the history of the Physician Assistant profession. On February 25, 2006 the North Carolina Academy of Physician Assistants formally opened the Stead Center in Research Triangle Park (RTP), NC, in honor of Eugene Stead, M.D., the father of the PA profession. 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