MBA vs MHA?

[grsaun4729]

Having to resort to Plan C for gap-years. I have a really good degree, but can't find a job. So I am considering getting an MBA in Healthcare Management or Masters in Healthcare Administration. Will these add worth to my application? If so, one more than the other? And if there are any MDs in this thread that have one of those degrees, do you feel it has been beneficial in your career?

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[GoSpursGo]

Neither of these would be helpful to your med school application. It is possible that either could be useful in your eventual career, but only if you really know why you're getting the degree in the first place.

If you have identifiable deficiencies in your med school application and you apparently have the funds to spend on getting another degree, then you would likely be better off just volunteering your time with activities that would actually help with your app.

 

[Goro]

Having to resort to Plan C for gap-years. I have a really good degree, but can't find a job. So I am considering getting an MBA in Healthcare Management or Masters in Healthcare Administration. Will these add worth to my application? If so, one more than the other? And if there are any MDs in this thread that have one of those degrees, do you feel it has been beneficial in your career?

Neither would add worth at my school.

And if it's one thing that Medicine in the US does NOT need, it's more administrators.

 

[LizzyM]

I agree that neither is likely to help you get admitted to medical school. If these programs are admitting applicants now for Fall 2022, they are not likely to be competitive programs that will lead to a good job after graduation, if you end up going pro in something other than medicine.

If you want to be a health care administrator, then take a year of accounting in 2022-23 at a community college (or have you already taken that coursework?) and get yourself an entry level job in clinic or hospital administration (many start as overnight administrators, someone who holds down the fort administratively while health care providers do their thing in the emergency department, ICU, etc). Think about a MHA or MBA in health administration starting in 2023 or later.

If you want to be a physician, you should be able to get an entry level job in a hospital or clinic. There are jobs that require only a HS diploma and some on the job training, or, if you can afford it, be a full-time volunteer in a health care setting.