Jobs in the health care field are fast growing nationwide. Locally, the demand has meant an spike in interest and applications for the school of Allied Health Professions at LSU Health Shreveport.

Most have heard of the concept of supply and demand. For the field of Allied Health, the demand for professionals is climbing quickly and medical schools are scrambling to keep up.

"We, I think have done a good job in getting the message out in our professions. We are spreading the word. We get involved in health fairs," says Dr. Joe McCulloch, Dean of the School of Allied Health Professions at LSU Health, says the options for students interested in the Allied Health fields are vast.

"It's a very broad school. There a lot of different interests in our student body," McCulloch says.

Professions like the Physicians Assistant program which supplies the majority of p-a's throughout the state.

"You can decide that you want to go into medicine, you want to provide health care for patients but you don't have to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life," says Dr. Kim Meyer, Director of the Physician's Assistant Program.

Meyer says being a Physician Assistant offers you the best of all worlds.

"A P.A. can change specialty in any point in their career."

Those in the field of physical therapy attribute the spike in interest to the daily patient interaction and to the fact that your education never actually stops.

"It's never the same day twice. You get to learn something new every day, from co-workers, from patients, from family members. And you really do feel ike you've made an impact on their lives," explains Ed Mahoney, Assistant Professor of Physican Therapy at LSU Hospital.

"It's a field that combine a lot of the biological sciences and the personal interaction of working patients," says Eric Rippetoe, third year physical therapy student.

With class sizes at a maximum and demand expected to grow, Dr. McCulloch says the school is ready to meet the challenge.

If current demand continues, the shortages for these professionals is expected to shoot up to more than 20,000 over the next ten years.