Bill Text: TX HB3349 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to accelerated educational programs offered by public institutions of higher education to qualified persons seeking licensure as physician assistants.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-05-01 - Left pending in committee [HB3349 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-HB3349-Introduced.html
| 83R7923 KEL-D | ||
| By: Rodriguez of Travis | H.B. No. 3349 | |
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| relating to accelerated educational programs offered by public | ||
| institutions of higher education to qualified persons seeking | ||
| licensure as physician assistants. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 61.0518 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 61.0518. ACCELERATED PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PROGRAMS FOR | ||
| QUALIFIED PERSONS. (a) An institution of higher education that | ||
| offers an accredited educational program for physician assistants | ||
| may offer one or more accelerated programs or program tracks to | ||
| allow eligible persons with previous medical education, training, | ||
| or experience as described by Subsection (b) to: | ||
| (1) bypass elements of a regular physician assistant | ||
| educational program that duplicate the previous medical education, | ||
| training, or experience of those persons; and | ||
| (2) complete the remaining program elements in a | ||
| manner that facilitates the expeditious licensure of those persons | ||
| as physician assistants. | ||
| (b) To be eligible to enroll in an accelerated educational | ||
| program for physician assistants under this section, a person must | ||
| provide the institution of higher education with proof of the | ||
| following: | ||
| (1) a medical degree obtained from a foreign medical | ||
| school that is recognized by the appropriate governmental agency in | ||
| the country in which the school is located; or | ||
| (2) any work or training with a health-related | ||
| component, if the work was performed or the training was obtained | ||
| while the person served as a member of: | ||
| (A) the armed forces of the United States; | ||
| (B) the Texas National Guard or the national | ||
| guard of another state; or | ||
| (C) a reserve component of the armed forces of | ||
| the United States. | ||
| (c) The board by rule shall prescribe for accelerated | ||
| programs offered under this section additional categories of | ||
| eligibility based on relevant previous education, training, or | ||
| experience. An institution of higher education that offers one or | ||
| more accelerated programs to persons who establish eligibility | ||
| under Subsection (b)(1) or (2) may choose to offer accelerated | ||
| programs to persons who establish eligibility under other | ||
| categories prescribed by board rule. | ||
| (d) An institution of higher education must obtain all | ||
| appropriate accreditations and approvals before offering an | ||
| accelerated educational program under this section. Each | ||
| accelerated program must sufficiently prepare students to take and | ||
| pass the licensing examination described by Section 204.153(a)(2), | ||
| Occupations Code. | ||
| (e) This section does not affect the authority of a private | ||
| or independent institution of higher education to offer an | ||
| accelerated accredited educational program to train physician | ||
| assistants. | ||
| SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board | ||
| shall adopt rules as required by Section 61.0518, Education Code, | ||
| as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after the effective | ||
| date of this Act. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2013. | ||
