One of the fastest growing industries in America is the medical assistant profession. Physician assistants are medical professionals who provide diagnostic and preventive health services under the supervision of physicians. Forbes magazine recently listed physician assistants as the fourth fastest growing profession in the United States. While the profession currently receives a lot of attention, the idea of ​​medical assistants has been around for centuries. More recently, due to the shortage of physicians, there has been an increase in the need for physician assistants. We believe it is important to explore and understand the history of the profession and how it has evolved in order to understand the future direction of the profession. Although the concept of profession began in the 17th century, our article will focus more on contemporary American society history since the 1940s. Dr. Amos Johnson, one of the founders of the American Board of Family Practice, hired a hospital orderly named Henry Treadwell to assist him in the daily activities of his office. Dr. Johnson's practice in Garland, North Carolina began the spread of the physician assistant model throughout the state. Dr. Eugene Stead and his general medicine residents at Duke University became interested in this idea. In 1942, due to the lack of adequate medical care during World War II, Dr. Stead created an accelerated three-year medical doctorate program. This sparked the idea that perhaps one day he could implement a similar program to alleviate the doctor shortage in the United States. Stead's first attempt at a condensed medical program was in 1957. While working with one of his nurses, Thelma Ingles, Dr. Stead attempted to establish a master's degree for nurses...... middle of paper...... medical assistant jobs from 2006 to 2016. As medical assistant students we are excited and confident about our significant role in the future of healthcare. Works CitedAmerican Academy of Physician Assistants. (n.d.). AAPA - Our history. Retrieved June 17, 2011, from the American Academy of Physician Assistants: http://aapa.org/about-pas/our-historyDuke University Meical Center. (2004). Physician Assistant History Center - Timeline. Retrieved June 17, 2011, from the Physician Assistant History Center: http://www.pahx.org/timeline.htmlMark Moran, P.-C. (2011, May 26). History and current trends of the lesson on the PA profession. Harrogate, TN, USA. Association for the Education of Physician Assistants. (n.d.). What is a PA? Retrieved June 17, 2011, from the Physician Assistant Education Association: http://www.paeaonline.org/index.php?ht=d/sp/i/197/pid/197