Physician Assistant Program in Louisiana - LA

By an allied health world contributing writer
Published: January, 18 2010

Bachelor of science physician assistant programs in Louisiana will require a 27-month, continuous curriculum, beginning in a summer semester. To be able to evaluate, monitor, and diagnose patients; perform routine medical procedures; and counsel and refer patients; students follow a curriculum that is both in the classroom and hands on. The first year of the Louisiana Physician Assistant program would cover basic medical science and the remainder would be clinical rotations in a variety of medical areas. Programs are often available through schools of allied health professions at universities.

Physician assistants in Louisiana have been active and organized for a long time. It was back in December 1977 that several physician assistants lobbied the State Board of Medical Examiners for privileges. This profession is expected to achieve growth of 39 percent nationally, from 74,800 jobs in 2008 to a projected 103,900 in 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Its projections for Louisiana, available only between 2006 and 2016, are that the 530 physician assistants in the state in 2006 would grow to 710 by 2016, an increase in 36 percent over the 10-year period. However, since the national estimates of growth in the profession have risen from 27 percent between 2006 and 2016 to 39 percent in the new 2008 to 2018 projections, this bodes well for larger increases in Louisiana as well.