DO/MBA Programs

[nalgie24]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Anyone out there looking into a comnined DO/MBA degree? I have a couple acceptances from schools that offer this program but I am curious about what others impressions have been about the programs they have researched/chosen to attend. Any feedback would be helpful. The two acceptances I have that offer this program are KCUMB and OSUCOM.

 

[sj786]

Anyone out there looking into a comnined DO/MBA degree? I have a couple acceptances from schools that offer this program but I am curious about what others impressions have been about the programs they have researched/chosen to attend. Any feedback would be helpful. The two acceptances I have that offer this program are KCUMB and OSUCOM.

The one at KCUMB is only 4 years. I am not sure about the other one

 

[mshheaddoc]

OSU-COM is a 5 year program (between 2nd/3rd year). What would you like to know about it?

You take some of your classes in Tulsa and some in stillwater (there is a bus that runs between). They are working on hammering out a curriculum that works towards more of a healthcare focus for the med students but that varies every year as they are trying to improve it each year.

 

[HarveyCushing]

How useful would a DO/MBA be for a physician these days? Is this something that would be valuable and worth the extra work?

 

[nalgie24]

Well, I was talking with an uncle who is an oral surgeon and another uncle who is an orthopedic surgeon and they were very enthusiastic about getting the dual degree. They said one of the hardest parts of being a doctor isn't the medical aspect of the occupation but the business side of the practice. Dealing with insurance companies, building a strong patient base, and managing the finances of a practice take a lot of time. You can and should hire an office manager with lots of experience to do such things but you should also be able to understand what's going on and be informed enough to make smart business decisions with your practice and your money. Not to mention the uncertain furutre of health care in the U.S. The MBA would also allow for involvement in health care policy and management if you so choose in the latter end of one's career.

Here is a good link on Oklahoma State's web site that explains why it would be useful. http://www.healthsciences.okstate.edu/college/degrees/do_mba.cfm

 

[HarveyCushing]

Well, I was talking with an uncle who is an oral surgeon and another uncle who is an orthopedic surgeon and they were very enthusiastic about getting the dual degree. They said one of the hardest parts of being a doctor isn't the medical aspect of the occupation but the business side of the practice. Dealing with insurance companies, building a strong patient base, and managing the finances of a practice take a lot of time. You can and should hire an office manager with lots of experience to do such things but you should also be able to understand what's going on and be informed enough to make smart business decisions with your practice and your money. Not to mention the uncertain furutre of health care in the U.S. The MBA would also allow for involvement in health care policy and management if you so choose in the latter end of one's career.

Thanks for the post, it was helpful. I wonder what would do a medical student better, a dual degree or some research?

 

[nalgie24]

Thanks for the post, it was helpful. I wonder what would do a medical student better, a dual degree or some research?

That's the benefit of the MBA coursework, all the case studies are like research and at KCUMB, it's still only 4 years.

 

[HarveyCushing]

That's the benefit of the MBA coursework, all the case studies are like research and at KCUMB, it's still only 4 years.

At KCUMB you do a lot of the course work during the summers correct? That is the time that med-students usually do research if that is what they want to do. I am just wondering if it is better to do some research or have a MBA when applying for residency? I am guessing that research will a student better for getting into a more competitive residency while the MBA will be more useful while practicing.

 

[mshheaddoc]

At KCUMB you do a lot of the course work during the summers correct? That is the time that med-students usually do research if that is what they want to do. I am just wondering if it is better to do some research or have a MBA when applying for residency? I am guessing that research will a student better for getting into a more competitive residency while the MBA will be more useful while practicing.

exactly. I know some who have done research actually DURING their MBA year as its not as rigorous as medical school obviously 😉

 

[HarveyCushing]

exactly. I know some who have done research actually DURING their MBA year as its not as rigorous as medical school obviously 😉

I have also been accepted to KCUMB, and their program is 4 yrs. The majority of the work is done during the summers and no MBA work is done at the same time as med-school courses. However during the 3rd/4th years, you take some distance learning classes. It seems like research is a great thing to have while applying to residencies.

 

[mshheaddoc]

I would suggest asking the school to put you in contact with current students to ask how they liked the format and if they had any issues. There is an OSU-COM student that has posted over in the MBA forum but I haven't seen him around much. If you search and send him a PM maybe he might answer some of your questions.

I know nothing of KCUMB's program so I can't speak for it. While its great that its 4 yrs, the only thing that concerns me is if the curriculum is watered down because of it. Distance learning is great but for MBA's usually more programs go towards a more interactive, thinking out of the box learning, group environments to stimulate thinking and working in teams. How much of that can be done in distance learning?

With that said, I have seen on their website they advertise quite a few students go into the program but since none of them have done a conventional MBA program they wouldn't be able to compare the programs.

with your decision.

 

[nalgie24]

I would suggest asking the school to put you in contact with current students to ask how they liked the format and if they had any issues. There is an OSU-COM student that has posted over in the MBA forum but I haven't seen him around much. If you search and send him a PM maybe he might answer some of your questions.

I know nothing of KCUMB's program so I can't speak for it. While its great that its 4 yrs, the only thing that concerns me is if the curriculum is watered down because of it. Distance learning is great but for MBA's usually more programs go towards a more interactive, thinking out of the box learning, group environments to stimulate thinking and working in teams. How much of that can be done in distance learning?

With that said, I have seen on their website they advertise quite a few students go into the program but since none of them have done a conventional MBA program they wouldn't be able to compare the programs.

with your decision.

That is an interesting point. After doing some research, I found that the KCUMB MBA is 50-52 credits of coursework while the Oklahoma State MBA is only 36 credit hours. It seems like the 4 year program would be less credit hours than the 5 years but that is not the case.

 

[DrBowtie]

Sometimes, they count some of your med hours as elective hours in Biz School. Check out the MD-DO/MBA forum a little further down the page.

 

[nalgie24]

At KCUMB you do a lot of the course work during the summers correct? That is the time that med-students usually do research if that is what they want to do. I am just wondering if it is better to do some research or have a MBA when applying for residency? I am guessing that research will a student better for getting into a more competitive residency while the MBA will be more useful while practicing.

That's a good point, hopefully someone with some first hand experience will be able to shed some light on this issue.

 

[mshheaddoc]

That is an interesting point. After doing some research, I found that the KCUMB MBA is 50-52 credits of coursework while the Oklahoma State MBA is only 36 credit hours. It seems like the 4 year program would be less credit hours than the 5 years but that is not the case.

Credits aren't programs ... just because you have more "hours" doesn't mean that its any better of a program.

It features 39 credit hours of in-residence coursework, 6 credit hours of blended in-class and online coursework during the second and third years of medical studies, and 6 hours of web-based distance learning courses taken during the D.O. degree clinical rotations in the final year.

After reviewing this schedule I can say that this cuts into your time of rotations (which I don't like) as you have classes that you have to attend during your 3rd year. Personally, that would restrict where I do rotations and I wouldn't be happy with that. Rotations are hard enough but when you are taking 2 classes during it?

I don't like the sound when people try to "smush" dual degree programs into less time. While it sounds appealing for the student, I just can't help but wonder what they are missing out on. I'd want to take classes with other MBA students as well not just my peers. I had a MD/MBA student with me that learned quite a bit from other students as most MD/MBA students have zero business background. MBA isn't just some joke degree which I think some think it is (well maybe at certain schools) but there is still alot of material that is foreign to someone who might never have had a business class before and can be quite challenging to master.

If you are chosing schools based on the fact of MBA ... I'd say take all of the factors into consideration. I'd choose the 5 year dual degree program but as I said I haven't talked to students and maybe some of my assumptions are off, but from what I'm seeing, I wouldn't want to be in that program.

disclaimer: THIS IS JUST MY PERSONAL OPINION ALREADY GRADUATING FROM AN MBA PROGRAM.

Maybe someone from KCUMB can comment and clear up some of my concerns ...

I think this is probably a great program for healthcare leadership focus ... but if you are looking for a more traditional MBA then you might consider a 5 year dual degree program. This probably does a great job in providing the business perspective of healthcare.

 

[DrBowtie]

That's a good point, hopefully someone with some first hand experience will be able to shed some light on this issue.

Get an Basic Financial Statements book. In the MD-DO/MBA forum, people have said you shouldn't get the MBA just for practice management since it doesn't really teach you the basics of a balance sheet, income statement etc.

I encourage you to check out the forum since there won't be a lot of people with experience posting in Pre-Osteo.

 

[mshheaddoc]

Oh and just a side note for comparison, my MBA required 60 credits to graduate, of which you could "test" out of 9 of them .... (stats, econ, and if your major was finance/accounting/marketing you could get credit for the intro class if you had an A but you had to take an elective to substitute it). Was it better than any other program because of that? Not really b/c they got more money from me 😛 and I wish I had gone to a shorter program!!!

 

[nalgie24]

Get an Basic Financial Statements book. In the MD-DO/MBA forum, people have said you shouldn't get the MBA just for practice management since it doesn't really teach you the basics of a balance sheet, income statement etc.

I encourage you to check out the forum since there won't be a lot of people with experience posting in Pre-Osteo.

Yea, I am not looking for the basics. I graduated with a minor in business and have had all the accounting, finance, etc... to learn spread sheets and income statements. In the long run I think it will open more doors of opportunity as my career progresses.