Physician Assistant Studies Department

The Physician Assistant (PA) Studies program at University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio is one of only seven in the state of Texas and one of only two with a presence in South Texas. Over 50% of our program graduates are serving as primary care providers compared to a national average of 35%.

Boasting an overall 99% pass rate for the National Certification Board Exams, the program is in extremely high demand by students and healthcare providers alike. In Texas, 1 in 3 applicants to medical school are admitted compared to 1 in 30 applicants admitted to our PA program. In 2009, UT Health Science Center program leaders reviewed 700 qualifying student applications from around the country for only 30 available student positions.  

The PA program is particularly committed to providing greater access to healthcare in rural areas and nearly 30% of our graduates work in medically underserved areas of South Texas. The PA capstone project brings home the vulnerability of the underserved and graduates emerge with a true understanding of service to humanity together with excellence in patient care.

In the long term, the true economic contribution of PAs to community wellness translates to reductions in the high cost of acute healthcare costs . The autonomy PAs exercise allows a physician to attend to more patients at a lower cost to the patient with equal effectiveness. For patients and their families, PAs represent higher levels of contentment, and for physicians they often represent higher levels of professional satisfaction

The Physician Assistant Studies program is making lives better by providing greater access to vital healthcare services.  If you would like to support the Physician Assistant Studies Department, please click here to make a gift to the School of Health Professions.