Anesthesia vs IM to get into hospital administration

[GreenGeek]

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A bunch of my med school friends and I were talking about getting into getting into academia and administration later in our careers.

1) Is working in the OR in anesthesia a good way to build relationships/contacts or is being on the floors as a IM hospitalist an easier route?

2) Is it smarter to go to a small hospital and work your way up there or to go from a big/ renowned program as an attending/PP and then get recruited into a executive level type of position in a small hospital?

 

[Noegrus]

Ask Edward Miller and Paul Rothman.

 

[Mman]

the best way is to go to business school. The vast majority of hospital administration is not filled with MDs and most CEOs of hospitals/health systems are not physicians. If you actually knew how to take care of a patient you would be fundamentally incapable of being a big enough butt kisser and hot air blower to get into that role in the first place.

 

[deleted126335]

It is not having the credential. If you are really interested, the material can be learned in other avenues, ACPE, etc. It is having administrative, leadership, communication and interpersonal skills and the interest to invest the time.

I know several docs who got the MBA who thought that it would magically open doors. It didn't.

They kind of guy who has the stuff to be president of a group or chief of staff is the guy who has the best chance of making this transition.

 

[cchoukal]

It's hard to say which is better, or "of all the internists, what percentage ends up in hospital admin vs that same percentage of all anesthesiologists?" I can say, however, that anesthesiologists do participate in hospital administration. Among my own mentors at UChicago, UCSF, and the San Francisco VA, many (including myself) have become involved or have formal positions in administrative endeavours. If I had to characterize the pathway, at least in the academic practices that I've been a part of, I'd say that most of the people I know have been involved in quality improvement or process improvement, and shifted toward administration from that arena. My own opinion is that anesthesiologists make good process improvement people because they tend to be oriented toward logistics.

 

[periopdoc]

Who has more control over their schedule to attend necessary meetings during the day?

- pod

 

[Mman]

It is not having the credential. If you are really interested, the material can be learned in other avenues, ACPE, etc. It is having administrative, leadership, communication and interpersonal skills and the interest to invest the time.

I know several docs who got the MBA who thought that it would magically open doors. It didn't.

They kind of guy who has the stuff to be president of a group or chief of staff is the guy who has the best chance of making this transition.

I'm not implying that an MBA qualifies you for hospital administration. I'm pointing out that the vast majority of higher ups in large hospitals and health systems come from business backgrounds, not from medical backgrounds. As in if that's what you want to do in life, don't go to medical school and don't become a doctor.

MD's can transition into administration, but it's usually on a small part-time basis in conjunction with their primary patient care responsibilities. Very, very few change from being 100% clinical to 100% administrative (which is what you are if you are higher up in the administration food chain).

 

[GreenGeek]

Ask Edward Miller and Paul Rothman.

I texted them, hopefully they respond. 😉