Joint MD/MBA Programs Gaining Ground, But Slowly
A survey by IndUS Business Journal finds that U.S. enrollment in joint MD/MBA programs is growing.
12 of the 23 schools that responded to the Journal's survey said they were seeing increased interest in their joint MD/MBA programs. Faculty say the trend is due to a growing awareness of the need for physicians to have a voice in health care management.
48 out of the 125 medical schools in the United States now offer joint MD/MBA programs. The first program was founded at Northwestern University in 1986. Since that time, a number of other universities, including Harvard, Yale, Boston, and Vanderbilt, have introduced their own programs.
Although formal enrollment of students in joint MD/MBA programs remains low -- on average, only about 3 students out of a medical school class of 250 -- there is enough interest among medical students in business studies and MBA programs that Jessica Merlin, an MD/MBA graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, and Michael Ward, who earned separate MD and MBA degrees at Emory, began a web site devoted to the topic. They call www.md-mba.org a central information resource for students interested in both fields.
Ward argues that doctors need to learn about the complexities of health care management to carry out their duties in a responsible way. "If you can't keep your doors open [for business], it doesn't matter how great a clinician you are," he told the Journal. Other physicians noted that management skills were especially important to doctors who want to keep nonprofit health care services running.
Other options for medical students who want to gain management skills are master's degree programs in public health care and Executive MBA (EMBA) programs designed for health care workers. Short-term classes, seminars, and online courses are also available through organizations like the American College of Physician Executives.
Source: "Medical Attitudes Shift, Prompting MD/MBA Degree Rise," by Paul Imbesi. IndUSA Business Journal, June 1, 2006.
12 of the 23 schools that responded to the Journal's survey said they were seeing increased interest in their joint MD/MBA programs. Faculty say the trend is due to a growing awareness of the need for physicians to have a voice in health care management.
48 out of the 125 medical schools in the United States now offer joint MD/MBA programs. The first program was founded at Northwestern University in 1986. Since that time, a number of other universities, including Harvard, Yale, Boston, and Vanderbilt, have introduced their own programs.
Although formal enrollment of students in joint MD/MBA programs remains low -- on average, only about 3 students out of a medical school class of 250 -- there is enough interest among medical students in business studies and MBA programs that Jessica Merlin, an MD/MBA graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, and Michael Ward, who earned separate MD and MBA degrees at Emory, began a web site devoted to the topic. They call www.md-mba.org a central information resource for students interested in both fields.
Ward argues that doctors need to learn about the complexities of health care management to carry out their duties in a responsible way. "If you can't keep your doors open [for business], it doesn't matter how great a clinician you are," he told the Journal. Other physicians noted that management skills were especially important to doctors who want to keep nonprofit health care services running.
Other options for medical students who want to gain management skills are master's degree programs in public health care and Executive MBA (EMBA) programs designed for health care workers. Short-term classes, seminars, and online courses are also available through organizations like the American College of Physician Executives.
Source: "Medical Attitudes Shift, Prompting MD/MBA Degree Rise," by Paul Imbesi. IndUSA Business Journal, June 1, 2006.
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