MIDLAND, Texas — The Texas Tech Physician Assistant Program is getting quite the upgrade.
Over the next two years, Tech’s Health Sciences Center facility at Midland College will be expanding both in class size and the building itself.
The Texas Tech Physician Assistant program has been offered in the Tall City offered for two decades.
And it is highly sought after, out of the nearly 2,000 applicants, just 60 are accepted each year.
“It’s very competitive," Christina Robohm, Regional Dean and PA Program Director, said.
So why not grow? A $30 million dollar investment into the program means more resources, more room and more students.
“Part of our building expansion will be our state of the art cadaver lab," Robohm said. "So they don’t have to drive to Lubbock so adding that lab here allows us to have a stronger base of the basic science courses.”
Robohm says the community has supported to the expansion.
Midland Development Corporation recognizes that need, that is why they donated $5 million dollars to make sure the PA expansion happens.
“There’s a need for primary care providers, we have several counties out here that have no healthcare providers," Robohm said. "A PA is a highly trained individual who can provide that care to places that don’t have it.”
Here's what else is included in the program expansion. Other addition include:
- A standardized patient simulation center
- Expanded clinical skills lab
- Collaborative learning classrooms
- And updating classrooms and faculty offices
Construction is set to start next spring, with a target opening date in 2023.