Every year, 1,000 hard-working souls dust off their college transcripts, fill out an application, and hope they’re accepted into the University of North Texas Health Science Center’s physician assistant program. And, a few months later, most of them are disappointed.
“The number of applications to our program continues to climb every year,” said program chairman Hank Lemke, noting that those 1,000 applicants are fighting for only 75 spots.
The need for physician assistants—who are are authorized to practice medicine under the supervision of a licensed physician—has skyrocketed in recent years, and isn’t expected to slow anytime soon. PA jobs are expected to grow by 30 percent between 2010 and 2020, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts, more than double the average rate of all other professions; 86,500 physician assistants currently practice in the United States, according to the American Academy of Physician Assistants. That growth rate is the second-highest in the health field, behind only home health aides.
“Employment growth is expected because the large baby-boom generation is getting older,” the BLS cites in its employment report. “As they age, baby boomers will be increasingly susceptible to ailments and conditions such as heart attack, stroke, and diabetes. Physician assistants are expected to have an increasing role in keeping these people healthy and caring for them when they get ill.”
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At UNTHSC, that demand has brought incoming class sizes up from around 40 students just a few years ago, Lemke said. Part of that growth is because of the Affordable Care Act and its predicted effect on healthcare access, but much of it has been driven by good press and economics.
“We’re seeing a lot of applicants saying, ‘Wow, I can see patients and participate in the diagnosis, and write prescriptions,’” Lemke said. “And the income that PAs can expect to recover is pretty promising. When you can invest $30,000 or $60,000 and expect to earn $85,000 or $95,000 or more, that’s appealing.”
Texas PAs made, on average, $95,000 in 2010, the tenth-highest rate of any state. The average salary is $90,000.
The growing clout of physician assistants came to the statehouse in June, when Gov. Rick Perry signed into law a bill that eliminated language that narrowly defined practice locations for PAs, enhanced prescriptive authority, and removed outdated laws governing physician oversight of PA practice. Senate Bill 406 modernized team-based medicine, and was authored by state Sen. Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) and sponsored by state Rep. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham).
“Allowing physician-PA teams to tailor medical care according to the needs of their patients and communities can only lead to better access to care in rural and underserved areas,” Texas Academy of Physician Assistants President Karrie Crosby said. “We are very grateful for the support of the Texas Legislature and our coalition partners.”
Lemke echoed the sentiments of the bill: “I think one of the things that distinguishes the PA profession is our alliance with physicians. We see the delivery of healthcare as a team sport, and as a result we align ourselves with physicians.”
The alliance, he added, should only grow when the predicted 5.8 million uninsured Texans are able to purchase health insurance this fall.
Date: August 1, 2013