A4 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2014 GALVESTON COUNTY, TEXASTHE DAILY NEWS

LOCAL

You’ve started college this year and after getting your undergraduate degree, you say you want to become a

DOCTOR?(or any other high-paid health care professional)

Anesthesiologist$431,977

Surgeon$367,885

Obstetrics/ gynecologist

$301,737

Internist $224,110

Psychiatrist $220,252

Pediatrician$216,069

Family practitioner

$207,117

Dentist$149,310

Podiatrist$116,440

Nurse practitioner

$92,670

Physician assistant $90,930

All require a doctoral

degree except a

physician assistant

and nurse

practitioner, which

require master’s degrees

Median salaries in 2012

in the United States.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau

of Labor Statistics

It’s harder – and costlier – than you might think

Information

The American Medi-cal Student Asso-ciation offers advice for undergraduates who are thinking about pursuing a medical degree in a guide written by its members.

Tuition at UTMB

This year’s tuition at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Nurse practi-tioner and other graduate programs are based upon 9 credit hours.

$17,050 PER YEARMedical school/doctors

$4,008 PER SEMESTERNurse practitioners

$3,277 PER SEMESTERPhysical assistant

and doctor of physical therapy

$2,614 PER SEMESTERClinical lab science, nutrition

and occupational therapy

SOURCE: University of Texas System SOURCES: University of Texas System and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

UT system’s other graduate program’s tuition

$31,324Dentist

(UT Health Science Center — Houston

$33,162Lawyer

(University of TexasSchool of Law)

$33,298MBA

(McCombs Schoolof Business)

Median salary: $114,300

Median salary: $149,310

Median salary: $90,000 to $120,000

Getting into UTMB graduate programs

Medical school

Applicants Number admitted

4,035

230

5% admitted

School of Nursing

School of Health Professionals

657

221

34% admitted

2,280

249

12% admitted

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

205

65

32% admitted

NOTES: School of Health Professionals includes programs in clinical laboratory sciences, occupational therapy, physical therapy and physician assistant. The School of Nursing includes nurse practitioner and other nursing programs.

SOURCES: PeopleSoft Campus Solutions and Individual schools.

(unofficial estimates as of August. Prepared by the UTMB Office of Institutional Effectiveness)

The time and financial com-

mitment involved in this pursuit can be staggering. Most students accumu-late a large amount of debt while in medical school. This debt, coupled with four years of train-ing and a variable number of years spent in residency training, can seem daunting. Yet with confidence and motivation, these will appear only secondary in im-portance when you consider what you are gaining in the long run.”

‘‘

The American Acad-emy of Physician As-sistants’ website, PAs Connect, provides a general overview of the steps to get ac-cepted into a gradu-ate program.

How to Become a PA | www.pasconnect.org.

‘Charting a Course to Medical School: The AMSA Map for Success | the full report can be read by going to www.amsa.org and going the Education & Career Development section.

The American Asso-ciation of Nurse Prac-titioner’s website has a nurse practitioners resources section.

Planning Your NP Education | www.aanp.org and click on Student Resource Center under the Education tab.

The American Physi-cal Therapy Associa-tion has a Student Assembly that “was established to repre-sent the concerns of students throughout the country in our evolving health care system.”

American Physical Therapy Association Student assembly | www.apta.org/studentassembly

The American So-ciety for Clinical Laboratory Science student center.

ASCLS website | www.ascls.org/student-center-ascls

Information on job predictions.

Bureau of Labor Statistic | • www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home.htm• www.bls.gov/ooh/fastest-growing.htm.