MD/MBA

[VirtuoJ]

Hey Guys-

I am not applying to med school until next year but I am interested in applying to an MD/MBA program. I would just like any input you guys have about MD/MBA programs. For example, would it be easier or harder (in terms of acceptance rates) to get in a MD/MBA program instead of just a regular MD program. I go to the top undergraduate business school, and I thought it would help my chances applying to an MD/MBA program. Would it be easier for me or not? Or would it be easier to apply to do an MBA program after getting accepted into an MD program? Are there any extra selection factors involved for MD/MBA programs, such as previous work experience? And, overall, are MD/MBA worth it in terms of the extra costs and the extra amount of effort? Thanks.

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[jargon124]

It is generally easiest and wisest to apply to B-school during the first year of medical school. It will still be feasible to complete the MD/MBA in five years. Admission obviously will vary by school, but I would guess that the med school admissions is the hard part. After that you will still need to be a strong B-school applicant, but their will be much less for you to prove. I am not sure if they require work experience for MD/MBA applicants - I would guess no - since most MD students havent really worked (I know some have, but lots are right out of college)...I am planning to apply during first year of med school...hope this helps...good luck.

Oh yeah - one more thing - don't forget GMAT is generally still required - so it makes even more sense to wait till you get into med school to worry about the B-school part...

 

[Thewonderer]

I personally would not apply to MD/MBA at the same time. I did that and got into two schools but ended at a different school, going for a straight MD program. The reason is that a lot of times, you will end up choosing a school based on the reputation of the medical school and not on the MD/MBA program you got into. Furthermore, now that I am in med school (we also have MD/MBA here), the impression I get is that you want to be a good doctor first and garner the respect of others (doctors and administrators alike). And only after that, you can become a business man (doctors don't like to be bossed around by someone with little medical knowledge and the more reputation as a DOCTOR you have the easier your life as an administrator will be). Therefore, that means you need to graduate from med school, go through a residency program and practice for a few years to establish a reputation in the local community and then pull some string to become an administrator/business person. As a result, if you squeeze MBA in between your 2nd and 3rd years of med school, you will not use it until at least 9 years later (2 years of med school left, at least 3 years of residency, at least 4 years of practicing on your own). And you know how the business world is ever changing so what you learn today might not work in the future (imagine getting your MBA 4 years ago when internet was not a popular idea yet). The exception is if you want to skip residency altogether and go straight to dot.com or start-up companies or management consulting right after you graduate.

I doubt that applying MD/MBA will give you any edge, even coming from an undergrad business program. MD and MBA admissions are strictly separate entity. For both programs, I had no problem getting into the MBA portion but it was the MD portion I had problem with. I was on the waitlist for one of the MD programs for a while before getting off and got accepted. Way before that time, the MBA program already jumped the gun and accepted me.

The working requirement is not strict.

Some schools actually don't require GMAT scores, such as Baylor/Rice.

 

[aliraja]

Originally posted by VirtuoJ:
•For example, would it be easier or harder (in terms of acceptance rates) to get in a MD/MBA program instead of just a regular MD program. I go to the top undergraduate business school, and I thought it would help my chances applying to an MD/MBA program. Would it be easier for me or not? Or would it be easier to apply to do an MBA program after getting accepted into an MD program? Are there any extra selection factors involved for MD/MBA programs, such as previous work experience? And, overall, are MD/MBA worth it in terms of the extra costs and the extra amount of effort?•

I'm currently enjoying the third year of Duke's 5 year MD/MBA, so I a little biased. But here's what I know.

Like other people have said, the admissions processes are distinct, so going to Wharton, etc... won't help you get into med school. It will, of course, help you with b-school.

At Duke, we apply during our second year of med school, just like all the other candidates. We're treated just like them as far as scores, GPA, etc... but our two years in med school are counted as work experience and, truth be told, everyone from the med school ALWAYS gets in. Of course, this doesn't hold true at all schools. For example, I hear that Penn makes it a little rough on MDs that don't have work experience.

It's worth it... consider getting a MBA later in life and trying to juggle your practice, your family, the extra 45 grand it'll cost per year, AND classes. On top of that, you'll probably take an E-MBA (weekends, etc..) that your practice WON'T pay for.

This way, I come out with a MBA, do an EM residency, become an attending and run the department with my MBA in a few years and go from there. At Duke Hospital, every department chair except 1 has a MBA. Sure, they all got theirs after med school but that's only because they didn't have joint degree programs when they were going through.

Let me know if you've got any questions about our program... Good luck!