Health Professions - Physicians, Dentists and Registered Nurses

Physicians

In 2003, 38,632 active physicians were licensed to practice in Texas, for a ratio of 175 physicians for every 100,000 Texas residents (Table 22).

Sources:  Border States includes data from Arizona Medical Board (2004), and Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners in Medicine and Surgery (2004), California Department of Consumer Affairs (2004), New Mexico Health Policy Commission (2003), and Texas State Board of Medical Examiners (2003); U.S. from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions (2000).

• There were 2,445 physicians in the Texas counties within 62 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border.   This was 108 physicians per 100,000 population for residents living in the Texas Border Counties.  The physician to population ratio in these counties was lower than the State ratio of 175 per 100,000, and much lower than the Border States ratio of 219 and the U.S. ratio of 278 per 100,000.  There were 2.5 times as many physicians at the national level than there were in the Texas Border Counties.
• There were 7,064 physicians in the Texas counties within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border.   This was 162 physicians per 100,000 population.  There were 1.7 times as many physicians at the national level than there were in the Texas counties within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border .
• In the Texas counties within 62 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border , there were 2.3 times as many physicians per 100,000 population in the metropolitan counties ^[33] than there were in the non-metropolitan counties:  176 and 77 physicians, respectively.
• When only physicians who provided direct patient care were considered, the ratio of physicians to population dropped to 97 per 100,000 population in the Texas Border Counties, 133 per 100,000 in the counties within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border, and 150 per 100,000 for the State as a whole (Table 22).
• Non-Hispanic Whites accounted for the majority of physicians in Texas who provided direct patient care, regardless of geographic region, with the exception of physicians in the Texas Border Counties where 47 percent of physicians were Hispanic/Latino(a).  At the State level, Non-Hispanic Whites accounted for 70 percent of direct patient care physicians.
• While 31 percent of direct patient care physicians in the Texas counties within 62 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border were approaching retirement age in 2003 (ages 55 and over), 29 percent of the State's direct patient care physicians were eligible for retirement within the next 10 years (Table 24).
• Over three-fourths of direct patient care physicians in Texas were male, regardless of geographic region (Table 25).
• Of direct patient care physicians, there were 50 per 100,000 population who provided primary care to the population in counties within 62 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border .  This compared to 61 primary care physicians per 100,000 population who provided primary care in the Texas counties within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border and 67 primary care physicians, statewide, in 2003 (Table 27).

Dentists

There were 10,245 active dentists licensed to practice in Texas in 2003, for a ratio of 46 dentists for every 100,000 Texas residents (Table 28).

Sources:  Border States includes data from Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners (2004), California Department of Consumer Affairs (2004), New Mexico Health Policy Commission (2003), and Texas State Board of Dental Examiners (2003); U.S. from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions (2000).

There were 440 dentists in the Texas counties within 62 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border .  This was 19 dentists per 100,000 population for residents living in the Texas Border Counties.  The dentist to population ratio in these counties was lower than the State ratio of 46, and much lower than the Border States and the U.S. ratios of 65 and 61 dentists per 100,000 population, respectively.  There were three times as many dentists at the national level than there were in the Texas Border Counties.

• There were 1,665 dentists in the Texas counties within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border .  This was 38 dentists per 100,000 population.  There were 1.6 times as many dentists at the national level than there were in the Texas counties within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border .
• When only dentists in private practice were considered, the ratio of dentists to population dropped to 17.5 per 100,000 population in the Texas Border Counties, 31 private practice dentists per 100,000 population in Texas counties within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border , and 42 per 100,000 for the State as a whole (Table 31).
• In 2003, over one-fourth of the State's private practice dentists were eligible for retirement within the next 10 years (ages 55 and over), regardless of geographic region (Table 29).
• Over three-fourths of private practice dentists in Texas were male, regardless of geographic region (Table 30).

Registered Nurses 

In 2003, there were 135,135 active registered nurses (RNs) licensed to practice in Texas, for a ratio of 611 nurses for every 100,000 Texas residents (Table 32).

Sources:  Border States includes data from Arizona State Board of Nursing (2004), California Department of Consumer Affairs (2004), New Mexico Health Policy Commission (2003), and Texas Board of Nurse Examiners (2003); U.S. from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions (2000).

There were 8,631 registered nurses in Texas counties within 62 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border .  This was 380 nurses per 100,000 population for residents living in the Texas Border Counties.  The RN to population ratio in these counties was consistently lower than the State ratio of 611 per 100,000, the Border States ratio of 692 per 100,000, and the U.S. ratio of 782 per 100,000.  There were twice the number of RNs at the national level than there were in the Texas Border Counties in 2003 .

• There were 22,949 registered nurses in Texas counties within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border .  This was 527 nurses per 100,000 population.  There were 1.5 times as many RNs at the national level than there were in the Texas counties within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border .
• In Texas counties within 62 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border , there were twice the nurses per 100,000 population in the metropolitan counties ^[34] than there were in the non-metropolitan counties:  412 and 208, respectively.
• Registered nurses in the Texas Border Counties were primarily Non-Hispanic White (47 percent), with 39 percent of RNs reported as Hispanic/Latino(a) (Table 33).  The Texas counties within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border were primarily Non-Hispanic White (61 percent), with 28 percent of RNs reported as Hispanic/Latino(a).  Non-Hispanic Whites accounted for the majority of RNs in Texas (77 percent) and each of the geographic areas.  Nationally, 86 percent of RNs were Non-Hispanic White, while only 2.2 percent were Hispanic/Latino(a). ^[35]
• While 15.4 percent of RNs in the Texas Border Counties were approaching retirement age (ages 55 and over) in 2003, 18.2 percent of RNs in Texas fell into this age group (Table 34).  Nationally, it was estimated that 14 percent of RNs were in these age brackets. ^[33]
• In the Texas Border Counties, 16.1 percent of RNs were male, while, statewide, 9.1 percent of RNs were male (Table 35).  This compared to 5.9 percent of nurses nationally.^[33]
• Ninety-two percent of nurses in the Texas Border Counties reported that they worked full-time, while RNs in the counties within 100 miles from the U.S.-Mexico Border and statewide reported that 89 and 85 percent, respectively, worked full-time (Table 36).  This compared to 72 percent of nurses nationally. ^[33]