Opportunities continue to increase, offering PAs the potential for vocations in teaching, administration, and research. The employment potential for PAs both in primary care and in specialty areas continues to grow and has resulted in the PA profession being called one of the fastest growing health care careers of the 1990s. According to the 2000-2001 Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment opportunities are expected to be good for physician assistants, particularly in areas or settings that have difficulty attracting physicians, such as rural and inner city clinics. Employment of PA's is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2008 due to anticipated expansion of the health services industry and an emphasis on cost containment. Physicians and institutions are expected to employ more PA's to provide primary care and assist with medical and surgical procedures, because PA's are cost effective and productive members of the health care team.
Physician assistants can relieve physicians of routine duties and procedures.
Besides the traditional office-based setting, PA's should find a growing number of jobs in institutional settings such as hospitals, academic medical centers, public clinics, and prisons.