Physician Assistants (PAs) are members of one of the fastest-growing and most rewarding health care fields today. PAs are highly qualified health professionals who are trained to provide care to patients in a variety of medical settings. PAs are certified and licensed to practice medicine as part of the health care team. They gather and evaluate medical data and participate in clinical decision-making, diagnosis, therapeutic management, and provide preventative care and education.
A PA exercises considerable autonomy in medical decision-making, but the supervising physician and state law determine the scope of a PA’s practice.
The TTUHSC Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program is committed to educating PAs to meet the challenge of increasing access to and providing high-quality, patient-centered health care for communities in West Texas and beyond.
With a focus on primary care and family medicine, the program awards a Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree following 27 months of intensive academic and clinical training. The 15-month academic phase of the program is conducted in a dedicated, state-of-the art facility in Midland, Texas, a thriving community located between Fort Worth and El Paso. The 12-month clinical experience takes place at a variety of sites throughout West Texas.
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As a student in the MPAS program, you will thrive in an environment that is both academically rigorous and focused on providing patient-centered clinical experiences. Among the program’s features:
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Health Professions Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.
Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be March 2033. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.
The program's accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website.
Learn how to apply to the
MASTER OF PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT STUDIES
As a graduate of the program, you will be eligible to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE), the gold standard of certification for physician assistants. All states require physician assistants to be licensed.
The PA profession has been named by top media outlets, including Forbes and USA Today, as the most promising job in America. The demand for PAs increased more than 300% from 2011 to 2014, according to the health care search firm Merritt Hawkins.
Our comprehensive curriculum provides didactic and clinical practice experiences emphasizing primary care in underserved areas of West Texas. The curriculum is designed to equip you with the full range of skills and clinical experiences you need to provide the highest-quality care as a professional PA.
Classes in the academic portion of the program include:
The final 12-month clerkship year allows you to care for a wide range of patients in varied settings and specialties.
Successful completion of the program culminates in the Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree.
The faculty and staff at TTUHSC's PA program want you to succeed, and they take a personal interest in students individually. PA school has been one of the most difficult undertakings in my life, but the environment of kindness and teamwork at TTUHSC carried me through. The instructors helped me feel prepared for the clinical environment. The structure of the program sets you up to succeed on the PANCE and in the workplace. I'm so glad I attended TTUHSC!
