Physician Assistant Studies
The Profession
The physician assistant (PA) is academically and clinically prepared to provide healthcare services with the direction and responsible supervision of a doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathy. The physician/PA team relationship is fundamental to the PA profession and enhances the delivery of high-quality health care. 
Within the physician/PA relationship, PAs make clinical decisions and provide a broad range of diagnostic, therapeutic, preventive, and health maintenance services. The clinical role of PAs includes primary and specialty care in medical and surgical practice settings. PA practice is centered on patient care and may include educational, research, and administrative activities.
The role of the PA demands intelligence, sound judgment, intellectual honesty, appropriate interpersonal skills, and the capacity to react to emergencies in a calm and reasoned manner. An attitude of respect for self and others, adherence to the concepts of privilege and confidentiality in communicating with patients, and a commitment to the
patient's welfare are essential attributes of the graduate PA.
(Excerpted from ARC-PA Educational Standards for Physician Assistant Education.)
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| Splinting and casting |
The specific tasks performed by individual PAs cannot be delineated precisely because of the variations in practice requirements mandated by economical, geographical, political, and social factors. At a minimum, however, PAs are educated in areas of basic medical science, clinical disciplines, and discipline-specific problem solving. PA practice is characterized by clinical knowledge and skills in areas traditionally defined by family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, surgery, and psychiatry/behavioral medicine. PAs practice in ambulatory, emergency, inpatient, and long-term care settings. PAs deliver healthcare services to diverse patient populations of all ages with a range of acute and chronic medical and surgical conditions. They need knowledge and skills that allow them to function effectively in a dynamic healthcare environment.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Physician Assistant Studies Program is among the top 20 Graduate level PA Programs in the country according to US News & World Report America's Best Graduate Schools 2007 edition. US News & World Report regularly ranks the top 50 graduate schools around the country. Five of the six other Texas PA Programs were also ranked among the top 50. UT Pan American was ineligible since it was still an undergraduate program at the time of the listing.
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| Dr. Dennis Blessing speaks at a graduation ceremony. |
Brief History
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio benefited from special federal legislation in October 1994 allowing the U.S. Army Academy of Health Sciences' Physician Assistant Studies Program to admit a limited number of civilian students into class vacancies. The intent of the federal legislation was to establish a small demonstration project to determine the feasibility of training civilian students in a military program to help resolve shortages of primary care providers in rural areas of Texas. The purpose was to improve healthcare services to medically underserved areas. Fifty-five students were accepted into this pilot program from 1995 to 1999. Many of them now practice in South Texas. The UT Health Science Center School of Health Professions received approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to offer a Physician Assistant Studies Program. The first class of 20 students was admitted in August 2000. The Coordinating Board subsequently approved a Master's degree program to start in 2003.
The Mission
To prepare primary health-care providers who will contribute to the improvement of the mental, social, and physical well-being of the underserved and vulnerable people of South Texas. This mission will be accomplished through culturally appropriate, socially relevant education, service, and scholarship.