º£½ÇÂ×ÂÒ

School of Health Professions

Mission, Vision and Goals

Department of Physician Assistant Studies

Mission

The Mission of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio is to prepare outstanding physician assistants to recognize and treat acute and chronic illness and promote health. The Department of Physician Assistant Studies makes lives better by improving the health care, health outcomes and the wellbeing of patients and their families through education, practice, service, and research.

Vision

By 2022, the Department of Physician Assistant Studies at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, will be recognized as a world-class Physician Assistant program and be amongst the best programs in the United States. We will lead the nation in Physician Assistant education, scholarship, and service.

Goals

We focus on attracting and educating a diverse student body to become excellent health care providers. We also aim to sustain a high first-time Physician Assistant National Certification Exam pass rate. Over the past three years, our students’ Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) pass ratehas been above the national average for first-time exam takers. Over the past five years, our first-time pass rate has also exceeded the national average. We cultivate graduates who are competitively marketable as health care providers. Over the past five years, 92.4 percent of our graduates were licensed to practice within six months of graduation. In addition, 100 percent of these licensed providers are currently practicing medicine.

The table, which reflects the varied and wide-ranging backgrounds and experiences of our students, demonstrates our continued commitment to diversity.

  2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
                Matriculation Size          
San Antonio  45 45 45 45 45
Laredo  N/A N/A 10 12 15
TOTAL  45 45 55 57 60
Race/Ethnicity
African American 2 1 0 1 1
Hispanic 17 5 24 23 21
Native American 0 0 0 0 0
Asian 8 11 9 11 15
Caucasian 17 27 22 22 21
Gender
Male 12 8 12 12 16
Female 33 37 43 45 42
 
                            Age 24 (20-39) 24 (20-44) 26 (20-52) 25 (20-41) 24 (20-43)
 
                Military Experience 0 7 6 4 3
Disadvantaged
From a Health Professional Shortage Area 6 10 22 28 24
Education 19 10 22 22 21
Economic 16 8 29 20 21