title: Occupational medicine. An overview for physician assistants.
abstract: Occupational medicine encompasses the delivery of physical, mental, and emotional health care in the workplace. Involvement of PAs in occupational medicine escalated in 1978, as industry responded to cost-containment pressures; PAs performed annual employee physical examinations, exercise stress testing, occupational health education, and treatment of work-related injuries. Work settings initially focused on underserved areas; today they include plant sites, private industrial-medicine clinics, and corporate medical administration. Utilization continues to expand. The American Academy of Physician Assistants in Occupational Medicine--founded in 1981--develops continuing medical education programs and educates industry and the public about PAs in occupational medicine. The future of PA utilization in occupational medicine lies in cost containment.
mesh_terms: D009786:Occupational Health Services; D009787:Occupational Medicine; D010823:Physician Assistants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012380:Role; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce