School of Health Professions News

Alpha ETA Society inducts 17 students

Thursday, May 24, 2018

By Kate Hunger 

The School of Health Professions Alpha ETA Society inducted 17 students this spring.

To be eligible for membership in the society, undergraduates must earn at least a 3.5 GPA and show a capacity of leadership and achievement to be eligible for membership, while graduate students must have a 3.8 GPA and demonstrate the same leadership and achievement qualities.

Physician Assistant Studies receives 10-year reaccreditation

Thursday, May 24, 2018

By Kate Hunger 

The Physician Assistant Studies program received its 10-year continued accreditation in April.

The Accreditation Review Commission on the Education of the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) is the independent accrediting agency that evaluates PA programs within the territorial United States to make sure they meet standards for PA education as defined by the agency.

UT Health San Antonio students traveled to England and Colombia over spring break

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

By Kate Hunger 

Many students spend Spring Break far away from the classroom, but a group of students from UT Health San Antonio used their time off to travel across the world to learn about health care in different countries. 

Second-year occupational therapy master's student Sarah Purcell was one of 17 students from the School of Health Professions and the School of Nursing who visited Coventry University in England. 

"We took classes with them and got to explore a bit and took tours of some hospitals," she said of the nine-day March trip. 

Physician assistant department trains students to Stop the Bleed

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Faculty from the department of physician assistant studies trained clinical students how to take action to help save lives at trauma scenes before emergency medical responders arrive. 

The aim of the March 29 Stop the Bleed training was to prepare bystanders to be immediate responders by equipping them with interventions they can use to help people injured in high-risk scenarios, such as serious car accidents or attacks of violence. 

UT Health San Antonio has a brand-new hero!

Friday, March 23, 2018

By Rosanne Fohn

It started out as a normal day (March 22, 2018) for David Wampler, Ph.D., associate professor and director of clinical research in the Department of Emergency Health Sciences, part of the School of Health Professions.

He had just put his 10-year-old daughter out to the school bus and was quickly cleaning the kitchen before following his daughter’s bus down the road toward 1-10, just south of Boerne. But then he saw something that looked like domestic violence going on near the bus.

Physician assistant studies program posts 100% first-time pass rate on the national certifying exam

Friday, March 16, 2018

By Kate Hunger 

The last four graduating class cohorts of the department of physician assistant studies passed the national certifying exam on the first try. 

The December 2017 cohort of 38 students was the fourth cohort since June of 2014 to notch a 100 percent first-time pass rate of the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE), according to a report from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. 

The national first-time PANCE past rate was 97 percent for the same period. 

Physician assistant faculty coach students in teamwork using interprofessional training program

Friday, February 16, 2018

By Kate Hunger 

Two faculty in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies are leading a series of interprofessional teamwork training classes for School of Health Professions students.

Designed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Department of Defense (DoD), the evidence-based TeamSTEPPS training system uses standardized tools and strategies to improve interprofessional clinical teamwork and communication with the end goal of improving the safety and quality of patient care.

Respiratory care professor receives George Kudolo Research Award

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

By Kate Hunger 

Ruben Restrepo, M.D., RRT, FAARC, respiratory care professor received the George Kudolo Research Award at the School of Health Profession's annual research retreat on Dec. 14 - the second time he has earned the honor. 

"It means a lot," said Restrepo, M.D., RT, FAARC. He received his first Kudolo Award 10 years ago and said he and other faculty continue to be inspired by the award's namesake, interim chair of the Department of Health Sciences George Kudolo, Ph.D., FAIC, FACB. 

Physician assistant program host point-of-care ultrasound training

Thursday, January 11, 2018

POCUS (point-of-care ultrasound) may have a magical-sounding name, but its benefits in primary care are very much real. Just ask any of the 11 faculty members who participated in an on-campus training in December hosted by the department of physician assistant studies. 

Library offers trove of resources for School of Health Professions

Thursday, January 11, 2018

The start of a new semester is a great time to resolve to make the most of library resources to take coursework and research to the next level. As of this writing, there were three dozen LibGuides - also known as subject guides - on the UT Health San Antonio library website. By the time you read this, there could be even more.