MPH in Healthcare Management at UTSPH?

[utsph2011]

Hi,
I'm considering the MPH in Healthcare Management program at UTSPH. Does anyone have any thoughts on the job market in Houston for that degree? And how it compares to getting a MHA from TX Women's Univ or UH Clearlake? Thanks!

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[cocobobo]

UTSPH2011,
From your other posts you appear to have also applied towards the biostats program at UTSPH and are concerned about the job market post graduation. As a recent UTSPH grad, I would say that regardless of what program you go into, what you get out of it is what you put in. If you get high marks and network very well, you will have a job post graduation. The Texas Medical Center has 49 institutions (13+ of which are hospitals). Regardless of the economic landscape/healthcare reform, there will always be some positions open (attrition/turnover). I found a position the week I graduated (which looking back appears to not be the norm in this current economic climate).

In regards to UTSPH MPH HCM vs. TWU MHA vs UH-CL MHA, I would say that UH-CL and TWU are more established and have more formal connections (with UH-CL being a bit better than TWU). Those connections can help land that first job. I would also say that these programs turn out decent administrators. The UTSPH program is in its infancy, but IMHO, there will be two sets of people that will graduate, those that will be healthcare leaders, and those that will be decent administrators. If you plan on attending UTSPH, I would network with those leaders.

 

[utsph2011]

UTSPH2011,
From your other posts you appear to have also applied towards the biostats program at UTSPH and are concerned about the job market post graduation. As a recent UTSPH grad, I would say that regardless of what program you go into, what you get out of it is what you put in. If you get high marks and network very well, you will have a job post graduation. The Texas Medical Center has 49 institutions (13+ of which are hospitals). Regardless of the economic landscape/healthcare reform, there will always be some positions open (attrition/turnover). I found a position the week I graduated (which looking back appears to not be the norm in this current economic climate).

In regards to UTSPH MPH HCM vs. TWU MHA vs UH-CL MHA, I would say that UH-CL and TWU are more established and have more formal connections (with UH-CL being a bit better than TWU). Those connections can help land that first job. I would also say that these programs turn out decent administrators. The UTSPH program is in its infancy, but IMHO, there will be two sets of people that will graduate, those that will be healthcare leaders, and those that will be decent administrators. If you plan on attending UTSPH, I would network with those leaders.

Hi cocobobo,
Thanks for your comments! I'm definitely leaning towards UTSPH but I'm still not sure whether Biostats or HCM will work best for me. I am equally interested in both, and I guess the main decisive factor would be which degree would more likely to lead to a job in Houston. But it seems like you're saying both will so that's great to hear. When you say the HCM program at UTSPH is in its infancy, does that mean there haven't been many previous grads? Do you have a sense of the types of positions previous grads obtained in Houston? Thanks again!

 

[cocobobo]

The first class in HCM should be graduating this May. I did my MPH in HCM in 1 year by doubling up on classes. I know of two other graduates other than myself. One is in health consulting, 1 is in administration at one of the TMC institutions, and I, myself, am in administration at another one of the TMC institutions.

 

[utsph2011]

The first class in HCM should be graduating this May. I did my MPH in HCM in 1 year by doubling up on classes. I know of two other graduates other than myself. One is in health consulting, 1 is in administration at one of the TMC institutions, and I, myself, am in administration at another one of the TMC institutions.

Thanks cocobobo! That's great to hear! I think I'm going to go with the HCM program since it's closer to my interests and it seems like finding a job in Houston afterwards will not be a problem.

I've heard people say that working in a hospital and getting experience is important for getting a job after the HCM degree. Do you have any thoughts on what sort of position at a hospital would be good to pursue while in grad school, in terms of getting useful work experience while in school?

 

[cocobobo]

jobs while in school? I would say that in any situation if you are pursuing a career in administration, a lab tech job or orderly position at a local hospital might build some experience, but it won't count that much towards an administrative/management job when you get out. But it really depends on what you want to do. Do you want to be a billings manager or office manager? If that is the case, then working as a patient access rep or MA or front desk person would be a good choice. If you are wanting to be a CFO or VP of something eventually, then that probably would not be a good choice. If you are wanting something closer to the C-suite, then go try to find some internships in hospital administration, where you can see these types in action and get to network with them.

 

[jbsdentist]

Hi cocobobo,

Thank for the info. I was waitin to hear from a senior passed out with MPH(HCM) fron Uth. I have got an admit to Uth for MPH(HCM).
I wanna know with my background in dentistry(BDS-India), with no previous experience in management field and been an international student would it be easy for me to get job in HCM sector. I have heard that one need to do MBA to fetch a better job in HCM.Whats ur take on it.


With regards,
Jitesh

 

[smartyus]

Hi cocobobo,

Could you please let me know how you were able to complete 2 year MPH program in 1 year? Do we need to inform the faculty? What other factors needs to be considered for such fast completion?
Please share your plan if you don't mind.... thanks.

 

[utsph2011]

jobs while in school? I would say that in any situation if you are pursuing a career in administration, a lab tech job or orderly position at a local hospital might build some experience, but it won't count that much towards an administrative/management job when you get out. But it really depends on what you want to do. Do you want to be a billings manager or office manager? If that is the case, then working as a patient access rep or MA or front desk person would be a good choice. If you are wanting to be a CFO or VP of something eventually, then that probably would not be a good choice. If you are wanting something closer to the C-suite, then go try to find some internships in hospital administration, where you can see these types in action and get to network with them.

Thanks, cocobobo! You've been so helpful with all this stuff! Thanks again!

 

[cocobobo]

I would say to last couple of posters that my case is not typical and not for the faint of heart. I graduated in 1 year because I probably spent 6 months before I started planning everything out from SOPHAS to post-graduate job. I doubled up on classes. So if a normal semester load for someone is 3 or 4 classes, I would take 6. I also took several summer classes. I also opted for the capstone course instead of a thesis. Student Affairs did not believe me when I turned in my application to graduate. I planned for the practicum for the summer, and I networked like crazy to secure a job by the time I graduated. And there was a lot of luck involved.

Part of the reason I was able to do all of this is because I knew exactly what I wanted, and I did not waffle. The faculty saw that I knew what I wanted and I didn't need to be coddled and let me do what I wanted.

So, the three takeaways that I would take are
1) plan, plan, and plan in excruciating detail. I knew exactly what classes to take in what semester, and I knew what alternatives I could take if they were not available. I knew what practicum I wanted before I started

2) Know what you want. I often saw other classes or activities that seemed very interesting. If I took an extra class, I would still be in school. By knowing what I wanted, I could tune out distractions. My goal was to get out in a year, and I stuck by that.

3) Step it up. Any graduate student work their butt off and churn out a 15 page term paper. A lot of students did that, but they didn't stand out. I stood out because I wrote the concise 9 page paper with superb figures that parsimoniously summarized my points. The same goes with oral and PowerPoint presentations. Step it up and you will get noticed. Get noticed and faculty will go to bat for you by letting you do what you want, recommendations, job references, and jobs.

These were just my experiences and my opinions, I am sure they won't work for everyone.

 

[nietzsche754]

I would say to last couple of posters that my case is not typical and not for the faint of heart. I graduated in 1 year because I probably spent 6 months before I started planning everything out from SOPHAS to post-graduate job. I doubled up on classes. So if a normal semester load for someone is 3 or 4 classes, I would take 6. I also took several summer classes. I also opted for the capstone course instead of a thesis. Student Affairs did not believe me when I turned in my application to graduate. I planned for the practicum for the summer, and I networked like crazy to secure a job by the time I graduated. And there was a lot of luck involved.

Part of the reason I was able to do all of this is because I knew exactly what I wanted, and I did not waffle. The faculty saw that I knew what I wanted and I didn't need to be coddled and let me do what I wanted.

So, the three takeaways that I would take are
1) plan, plan, and plan in excruciating detail. I knew exactly what classes to take in what semester, and I knew what alternatives I could take if they were not available. I knew what practicum I wanted before I started

2) Know what you want. I often saw other classes or activities that seemed very interesting. If I took an extra class, I would still be in school. By knowing what I wanted, I could tune out distractions. My goal was to get out in a year, and I stuck by that.

3) Step it up. Any graduate student work their butt off and churn out a 15 page term paper. A lot of students did that, but they didn't stand out. I stood out because I wrote the concise 9 page paper with superb figures that parsimoniously summarized my points. The same goes with oral and PowerPoint presentations. Step it up and you will get noticed. Get noticed and faculty will go to bat for you by letting you do what you want, recommendations, job references, and jobs.

These were just my experiences and my opinions, I am sure they won't work for everyone.

I'm still in the program but I co-sign this 100%. I am on track to finish in 16 months (I could have finished in 12 but wanted to make my practicum experience as extensive as possible). Also I would advise students to watch how faculty interact with each other. In any program there are faculty politics at play and you need to be sure your adviser is not only well liked by you but well liked by other faculty because when you look for a job that can open doors as well.

 

[smartyus]

Thanks, cocobobo! Its really encouraging for me ....shall give it a try to follow your footsteps....

BTW...what is ur major and where are you currently working?

thanks again

 

[utsph2011]

jobs while in school? I would say that in any situation if you are pursuing a career in administration, a lab tech job or orderly position at a local hospital might build some experience, but it won't count that much towards an administrative/management job when you get out. But it really depends on what you want to do. Do you want to be a billings manager or office manager? If that is the case, then working as a patient access rep or MA or front desk person would be a good choice. If you are wanting to be a CFO or VP of something eventually, then that probably would not be a good choice. If you are wanting something closer to the C-suite, then go try to find some internships in hospital administration, where you can see these types in action and get to network with them.

I think I'm more interested in ultimately working as an administrator, like manager, director, etc. I know it takes experience to get there, but I was wondering if you have any thoughts on what types of initial positions are appropriate for that career path, like rt out of grad school?

I've seen that a lot of MHA folks work as Project Coordinators, and I don't feel that'll be a good match for me. So I was wondering if you have thoughts on what some other alternatives are for an entry-level job after the MPH, if I'm interested in administration?

 

[cocobobo]

There is no set "path" into administration. I have seen directors and administrators who started out as lab techs working the night shift. And I have also seen MHA's come out of grad school and become director within a year. Probably the most common path I have seen is project manager > manager > assistant director/assistant administrator and so on, or nurses who rise up through the ranks to become administrators.

There are project coordinators around here, but they are usually entry level positions for those with little to none management experience. In your area, the nomenclature may be different. Coordinators tends to be the person that makes sure the trains run on time for a project. Project managers are more likely to have these duties, but on top of that own the projects they are working on. This is usually the path that is taken because this is the path that has the most visibility. Managers/Directors/Administrators are more likely to see your work and your work ethic when you manage projects rather than some other front line job. When a slot opens for a manager position, do you think a director/administrator will search around a lot, looking through all of his/her front line staff, or will he/she think, hey, I have a project manager that might work.

So what ever position you go for, make sure it has great visibility to higher management types. Just like Woody Allen said, 90% of life is showing up. If you can't be seen by management, how can you expect them to promote you?

 

[utsph2011]

There is no set "path" into administration. I have seen directors and administrators who started out as lab techs working the night shift. And I have also seen MHA's come out of grad school and become director within a year. Probably the most common path I have seen is project manager > manager > assistant director/assistant administrator and so on, or nurses who rise up through the ranks to become administrators.

There are project coordinators around here, but they are usually entry level positions for those with little to none management experience. In your area, the nomenclature may be different. Coordinators tends to be the person that makes sure the trains run on time for a project. Project managers are more likely to have these duties, but on top of that own the projects they are working on. This is usually the path that is taken because this is the path that has the most visibility. Managers/Directors/Administrators are more likely to see your work and your work ethic when you manage projects rather than some other front line job. When a slot opens for a manager position, do you think a director/administrator will search around a lot, looking through all of his/her front line staff, or will he/she think, hey, I have a project manager that might work.

So what ever position you go for, make sure it has great visibility to higher management types. Just like Woody Allen said, 90% of life is showing up. If you can't be seen by management, how can you expect them to promote you?

Thanks cocobobo! So it seems like aiming for a position as project manager right after grad school is best. My concern is that I currently have like zero healthcare experience. I know the MPH requires an internship, but I'm not sure if that'll be enough to land a project manager position, with no other healthcare experience. So I'm thinking I should look into possible entry-level jobs I could do during grad school that would give me some healthcare experience, even if it's not admin yet. And then hopefully with the internship as well, I'd be in good shape by grad time.

I've seen things like patient liason or HR coordinator (mostly data entry), which I could possibly get with little prior healthcare experience. Do you think that's the rt direction? Or am I like totally off? Any advice would be great! Thanks!

 

[RAMPA]

Thanks cocobobo! So it seems like aiming for a position as project manager right after grad school is best. My concern is that I currently have like zero healthcare experience. I know the MPH requires an internship, but I'm not sure if that'll be enough to land a project manager position, with no other healthcare experience. So I'm thinking I should look into possible entry-level jobs I could do during grad school that would give me some healthcare experience, even if it's not admin yet. And then hopefully with the internship as well, I'd be in good shape by grad time.

I've seen things like patient liason or HR coordinator (mostly data entry), which I could possibly get with little prior healthcare experience. Do you think that's the rt direction? Or am I like totally off? Any advice would be great! Thanks!

many hospitals have internship (EXTERNSHIP) programs geared towards MHA students in quality and operations departments. Most do pay a small salary, however, being able to demonstrate your abilities to those administrators and others in managerial positions will help you in your job search, especially if you decide to remain with the same organization.

by externship I mean something you'd do during the semester versus an internship which you'd do usually over the summer***

 

[cocobobo]

Pt access rep/liaison might work out. Don't try the HR positions unless you really like HR, because once you get tagged as an HR person, it's hard to get positions other than HR positions. RAMPA is right about the internships help you get noticed, however, in Houston, most internships are UNPAID. I did my internship at a top USNews ranked hospital, and it was a fast, hard roller coaster ride into what actually happens on a day to day basis in admin/management. But I learned a new set of skills that complemented what I learned in my classes. You just have to go in hard, putting 50-60 hrs a week, never saying no, and not minding the fact that it is unpaid and sometimes having to do entry level work. But all of this did get me noticed by directors and senior management.

 

[utsph2011]

many hospitals have internship (EXTERNSHIP) programs geared towards MHA students in quality and operations departments. Most do pay a small salary, however, being able to demonstrate your abilities to those administrators and others in managerial positions will help you in your job search, especially if you decide to remain with the same organization.

by externship I mean something you'd do during the semester versus an internship which you'd do usually over the summer***

Thanks, Rampa! An externship seems like a good idea. Bc I seem either over-qualified or under-qualified (bc of lack of healthcare experience) for most entry-level positions. So I'll poke around and see what's available in terms of externships. And thanks for the externship term (I would've been asking for an internship during the semester! )

 

[utsph2011]

Pt access rep/liaison might work out. Don't try the HR positions unless you really like HR, because once you get tagged as an HR person, it's hard to get positions other than HR positions. RAMPA is right about the internships help you get noticed, however, in Houston, most internships are UNPAID. I did my internship at a top USNews ranked hospital, and it was a fast, hard roller coaster ride into what actually happens on a day to day basis in admin/management. But I learned a new set of skills that complemented what I learned in my classes. You just have to go in hard, putting 50-60 hrs a week, never saying no, and not minding the fact that it is unpaid and sometimes having to do entry level work. But all of this did get me noticed by directors and senior management.

Wow, thanks for the tip about getting tagged as HR...That's not really my interest so I really appreciate the heads up...I guess I'll see about the patient liason position but I think they need healthcare work exp.... It seems from what you and Rampa are saying, that internships/externships might be the best path for me, rather than trying to pursue entry-level positions during grad school. Do you generally need healthcare work experience to get an internship, or is it enough to be a MPH student?

Also, I forgot to ask, did you have prior healthcare work experience when you graduated from the MPH prog? Or did you mostly use the internship and other contacts to get a job after graduating? What about your peers, if you remember? Thanks!

 

[instatetuition]

Hi all,

I am a newly admitted student at UTSPH for the MPH-EOHS program, Fall 2011. I would like to know others in the same department, or can anyone link me up with a current student? What are you guys doing about accommodation? Anyone knows anything about all courses offered online?
How do I know if my application for "in state tuition/ residency" has been approved or not.
Please any information will be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[instatetuition]

Wow, thanks for the tip about getting tagged as HR...That's not really my interest so I really appreciate the heads up...I guess I'll see about the patient liason position but I think they need healthcare work exp.... It seems from what you and Rampa are saying, that internships/externships might be the best path for me, rather than trying to pursue entry-level positions during grad school. Do you generally need healthcare work experience to get an internship, or is it enough to be a MPH student?

Also, I forgot to ask, did you have prior healthcare work experience when you graduated from the MPH prog? Or did you mostly use the internship and other contacts to get a job after graduating? What about your peers, if you remember? Thanks!

Hi UTSPH 2011,

I am a newly admitted student at UTSPH for the MPH-EOHS program, Fall 2011. I would like to know others in the same department, or can anyone link me up with a current student? What are you guys doing about accommodation? Anyone knows anything about all courses offered online?
How do I know if my application for "in state tuition/ residency" has been approved or not.
Please any information will be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[instatetuition]

Hi utsph2011,

I am a newly admitted student at UTSPH for the MPH-EOHS program, Fall 2011. I would like to know others in the same department, or can anyone link me up with a current student? What are you guys doing about accommodation? Anyone knows anything about all courses offered online?
How do I know if my application for "in state tuition/ residency" has been approved or not.
Please any information will be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[smartyus]

Are you an international student?