The program initiates a unique partnership between Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Midland College. The new PA program will be housed in a building on the Midland College campus that will be owned by the two institutions. Meanwhile, the baccalaureate program falls under the auspices of Texas Tech. The rural areas are underserved. The Physician Assistant program will make tremendous strides in fulfilling that mission by filling a niche in rural areas.
Physician assistants are the health care providers when physicians are absent.
A physician assistant becomes an extension of the physician s practice. The PA may take medical histories, perform physical exams, order and interpret diagnostic tests, formulate a working diagnosis and implement a treatment plan. Physician assistants can serve in any health care setting, Satterwhite says. This includes small hospital emergency rooms and nursing homes. After having worked as an administrator of a rural hospital, Satterwhite says he knows the expense of hiring an emergency room physician cannot always be justified.