SAN ANTONIO – The University of the Incarnate Word on Tuesday announced a new program that offers direct admission to certain health profession programs to Texas high school seniors who are ranked in the top 5 percent of their classes after their junior year.
The Direct Admit Health Professions Program, which begins in the fall, also offers full-time students a $2,500 scholarship per year for up to eight years.
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The following professional program are included in the new initiative:
- Doctor of Nursing Practice
- Doctor of Optometry
- Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
- Doctor of Pharmacy
- Doctor of Physical Therapy
"The UIW Direct Admit program will grant highly qualified students the opportunity to jump start their careers in the health professions by allowing them to focus on learning instead of stressing over trying to get accepted into a healthcare program," UIW President Dr. Lou Agnese said. "We want our students to concentrate on getting the finest education possible to ensure they are prepared to meet the growing need for healthcare providers in our state."
UIW said the program is also available to homeschooled students and those whose high schools do not record rankings. Click here to learn more about the program requirements.
Agnese said the program will target Texas students in an effort to keep doctors in the state. He said 70 percent of doctors who graduate from Texas' eight medical schools leave the state for their residencies and do not return.
UIW also announced on Tuesday that it will begin recruiting for its new School of Osteopathic Medicine at Brooks City Base.
The first students will be admitted in June. The program is expected to produce 150 doctors each year and will reach its full capacity of 600 students by 2021.
Agnese talked about what it means for the school to practice osteopathic medicine.
"That means that we believe in the whole person and that we believe that the doctors that graduate from here most likely will focus on the areas of primary care family practice, which is what Texas needs, especially rural Texas," Agnese said. "Those doctors, like our nurses (and) like our pharmacists, will be faith-based doctors and will heal the whole person."
The School of Osteopathic Medicine will begin classes in the fall.