{"id":390345,"date":"2026-07-29T08:35:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T08:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/390345\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T08:35:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T08:35:08","slug":"how-ut-san-antonio-is-helping-close-the-gap-in-the-texas-healthcare-workforce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/390345\/","title":{"rendered":"How UT San Antonio is helping close the gap in the Texas healthcare workforce"},"content":{"rendered":"

In San Antonio, Christopher Mao is preparing to start his internal medicine residency in the same city where he trained.<\/p>\n

\u201cTexas has shaped every stage of my life,\u201d Mao said. \u201cI was born and raised in Houston, studied in Austin, and trained in San Antonio. Staying here for residency gives me the opportunity to give back to the communities that have invested so much in me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brooke Heche will soon begin her career as a labor and delivery nurse after commissioning as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and describes a similar pull to stay in the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cTexas, and especially San Antonio, has shaped both who I am and the nurse I am becoming,\u201d Heche said. \u201cI know I\u2019m a stronger, more capable nurse because of the patients, families, and teams who have poured their wisdom and encouragement into me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Experiences such as these are becoming increasingly common in Texas, an encouraging shift as the state faces persistent healthcare challenges. With shortages in primary care, mental health, and dental services, the need for a strong, sustainable healthcare workforce has never been more urgent.<\/p>\n

More than\u00a080%<\/a>\u00a0of Texas counties are designated mental health\u00a0shortage areas<\/a>, and about 40% lack sufficient primary care access. In rural communities, the challenge is even more pronounced as nearly every rural county faces health professional shortages.<\/p>\n

State\u00a0projections<\/a>\u00a0estimate Texas could face a shortage of approximately 10,000 physicians by 2032, driven by population growth and an aging workforce.<\/p>\n

Closing the gap requires a workforce built and retained close to home.<\/p>\n

\"AAcross its six health professional schools, The University of Texas at San Antonio and its academic health center, UT Health San Antonio, are training the next generation of Texas healthcare providers.A workforce that stays<\/p>\n

The university produces more than 1,100 graduates annually across medicine, nursing, dentistry, allied health, biomedical sciences, and public health, forming one of Texas\u2019s largest pipelines of practice-ready clinicians.<\/p>\n

Nearly 90% of School of Health Professions graduates enter the Texas workforce, along with 94% of Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduates, 88% of doctoral nursing graduates, and 81% of new dentists. Among physicians, 61% continue their residency training in Texas.<\/p>\n

\u201cGraduate retention is one of the most meaningful ways we fulfill our mission to serve the public good,\u201d said Francisco G. Cigarroa, MD, UT San Antonio\u2019s senior executive vice president for health affairs and health system. \u201cWhen physicians, nurses dentists,\u00a0allied health professionals, scientists and public health leaders choose to build their careers here, it strengthens the health and future of Texas by expanding access to exceptional care closer to home, advancing discovery, and improving lives for families and communities across our state.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AMost of UT San Antonio\u2019s health professional graduates stay in Texas, helping to advance health and well-being for communities in need.Designing a workforce for Texas<\/p>\n

At UT San Antonio, workforce development is structured as a coordinated system that begins early and continues well into a graduate\u2019s professional practice.<\/p>\n

Through undergraduate pipeline programs, many students are recruited from under-resourced communities, supported throughout their academic journey and trained in real-world clinical settings across Texas.<\/p>\n

Long-standing partnerships with University Health System, the university\u2019s foundational and primary clinical and teaching partner, the South Texas Veterans Health Care System (including the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans\u2019 Hospital),\u00a0federally qualified health centers<\/a>, and community organizations create a seamless pathway from classroom to clinical practice. Together, these partnerships strengthen the quality of care delivered across South Texas while building the healthcare workforce our region and state depend upon.<\/p>\n

\"ThreeThe School of Dentistry\u2019s No. 1 ranking in Texas and No. 9 national ranking for research funding, along with its near-perfect pass rates on national board examinations, reinforce its reputation as a leader for dental training.<\/p>\n

Students gain hands-on clinical experience in diverse care settings and progress into advanced training opportunities, often continuing their education and careers within the same health systems. These integrated clinical pathways not only prepare graduates to deliver exceptional patient care but also create a strong talent pipeline that helps meet the growing demand for highly skilled healthcare professionals.<\/p>\n

The impact is evident. Since 2017, 100% of nursing students accepted into the\u00a0VA Student Trainee Experience Program<\/a>\u00a0have received employment offers within the VA system following graduation. After one year, 100% of those hired remained with the VA, and 89 percent remained after three years, demonstrating how structured clinical education partnerships translate directly into workforce recruitment, retention, and long-term stability.<\/p>\n

Support systems<\/a>\u00a0also reinforce continuity. Peer mentoring, academic support centers, and faculty-led mentorship programs help students transition confidently into their professions.<\/p>\n

Across its health professions programs, UT San Antonio students consistently outperform national benchmarks on licensure and certification exams, demonstrating exceptional preparation to serve patients and communities across Texas.<\/p>\n

At the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, 98% of the Class of 2026 matched into residency programs, surpassing the national average. The School of Health Professions achieved a 99% pass rate across its programs. The School of Nursing, ranked among the\u00a0top 11%<\/a>\u00a0of Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs nationally by\u00a0U.S. News & World Report, recorded a 95 percent first-time pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination. At the School of Dentistry, ranked\u00a0No. 1 in Texas<\/a>\u00a0and No. 9 nationally, students continue to demonstrate extraordinary outcomes, including near-perfect pass rates on national board examinations. These results reinforce the school\u2019s reputation as one of the nation\u2019s premier institutions for dental training.<\/p>\n

UT San Antonio also offers advanced degree programs, residencies, and continuing education designed to help health professionals deepen their expertise while remaining in practice.<\/p>\n

\"AStudents in UT San Antonio\u2019s health professional programs progress from hands-on clinical education into specialized training experiences.A\u00a0healthier future<\/p>\n

In May 2026, the\u00a0Kate Marmion School of Public Health<\/a>\u00a0graduated its inaugural class, marking an important milestone in strengthening the public health workforce for San Antonio, South Texas, and rural communities across the state. As the only locally based school of public health in San Antonio, it prepares future leaders in disease prevention and population health for communities throughout the region.<\/p>\n

In just its third year, the school has already earned a\u00a0top national ranking<\/a>\u00a0for research funding, reflecting the demand for its graduates and the growing role of public health in reforming the future of care.<\/p>\n

Listen to the impact of the Kate Marmion School of Public Health.<\/p>\n

Each physician, nurse, allied health professional, and oral healthcare provider contributes to improved health outcomes, but also to economic stability by\u00a0creating jobs<\/a>\u00a0and reducing the cost and complexity of recruiting talent from outside the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cPreparing the next generation of health professionals is fundamentally about strengthening the future health and well-being of Texas,\u201d Cigarroa said. \u201cWhen we educate and train talent within our own communities, we create a lasting foundation for exceptional care, expanded access, and healthier populations across our state. Our responsibility is to advance excellence in education and healthcare while ensuring future Texans benefit from exceptional care, discovery, and service for decades to come.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In San Antonio, Christopher Mao is preparing to start his internal medicine residency in the same city where…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":390346,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[27,29,28],"class_list":["post-390345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390345"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390345\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/390346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}