PA's in h. care administration

[Jiminy Cricket]

Does a PA degree hurt one's chances of promotion in H.care administration? Can a PA with an MBA rise to a position above an M.D. with an MBA or a plain MBA?

Please let me know. I'm trying to consider career options as the MD program may not work out for me.

 

[Emedpa]

Does a PA degree hurt one's chances of promotion in H.care administration? Can a PA with an MBA rise to a position above an M.D. with an MBA or a plain MBA?

Please let me know. I'm trying to consider career options as the MD program may not work out for me.

honestly if you are interested in administration the rn degree is a better choice. the directors of most hospital depts are already rn's with an msn, mba, or mha and many of the higher ups as well. to get a ceo type position though you need the md, mha in my experience.
there are pa's out there who are admin directors( as opposed to medical directors) of entire depts occupying positions that an rn mba/mha might normally hold but they are few and far between.
pa is a clinical degree, not an admin degree.

 

[Jiminy Cricket]

honestly if you are interested in administration the rn degree is a better choice. the directors of most hospital depts are already rn's with an msn, mba, or mha and many of the higher ups as well. to get a ceo type position though you need the md, mha in my experience.
there are pa's out there who are admin directors( as opposed to medical directors) of entire depts occupying positions that an rn mba/mha might normally hold but they are few and far between.
pa is a clinical degree, not an admin degree.

so, would I be better served not to pursue a PA degree and just apply to an MHSA program.

My current situation is that I have two years of clinical sciences from medical school behind me, so I will probably be able to get a year of credit from my school's PA program. It would only take me a year to get a PA degree. I was thinking that one year of schooling for a salary of 75k a year would be a great option since most MHSA's dont even make that much and I would be able to save up some money to invest in an MBA program later. I already have 50k in debt and practicing as a PA for a few years would be an opportunity to clear the slate with this debt. I am also predicting that with a PA degree, I will get a certain level of job security. If I get fired from a consulting job or something, I thought the PA degree would give me more leverage to find a new job. Of course, I dont know how employers would view an applicant for a PA job who had not been working in a clinical environment for some time.

What do you all think? Do I get the PA and save up before an MBA in h.care......or do I not get the PA degree and take the GRE and apply to MHSA programs?

please let me know as your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

one more thing, how much to PA/MBA's in an administrative position make?

Would a PA background help in securing a position in h.care consulting?

 

[Emedpa]

I would be surprised if your pa program credited you for medschool time.
the classes and expectations are very different. I know someone who left medschool after ms2(passing) for pa school and had to start over from scratch for pa school so unless you have this in writing from the director of a pa program it aint gonna happen. foreign physicians who are boarded overseas who want to be pa's still have to do the whole program, I know several.
skip the pa degree and do either rn, mba or rn, mhsa or just skip any type of clinical degree and get an mhsa by itself. nurses really do run hospitals so I think the rn background is your best bet.
I worked in an admin position as a pa a few yrs ago( I was associate chief of emergency medicine at a community hospital). I got my base pay + 10%. it wasn't worth it for all the extra hassle. I only did it for 2 years.
I know a few pa's who have consulting and/or expert witness jobs. they all have years of experience in their fields in order to make them "experts".

 

[Miami_med]

so, would I be better served not to pursue a PA degree and just apply to an MHSA program.

My current situation is that I have two years of clinical sciences from medical school behind me, so I will probably be able to get a year of credit from my school's PA program. It would only take me a year to get a PA degree. I was thinking that one year of schooling for a salary of 75k a year would be a great option since most MHSA's dont even make that much and I would be able to save up some money to invest in an MBA program later. I already have 50k in debt and practicing as a PA for a few years would be an opportunity to clear the slate with this debt. I am also predicting that with a PA degree, I will get a certain level of job security. If I get fired from a consulting job or something, I thought the PA degree would give me more leverage to find a new job. Of course, I dont know how employers would view an applicant for a PA job who had not been working in a clinical environment for some time.

What do you all think? Do I get the PA and save up before an MBA in h.care......or do I not get the PA degree and take the GRE and apply to MHSA programs?

please let me know as your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

one more thing, how much to PA/MBA's in an administrative position make?

Would a PA background help in securing a position in h.care consulting?

Not that I'm an expert, and not that I'm knocking PAs at all, but you are talking about ONE extra year in order to actually get the MD. Is it really not worth the one year. You know that the MD/MBA works. PAs still have an evolving position within society. Regardless of what happens with the PAs, the MD will always work. You should atleast think of sticking it out.

 

[Emedpa]

Not that I'm an expert, and not that I'm knocking PAs at all, but you are talking about ONE extra year in order to actually get the MD. Is it really not worth the one year. You know that the MD/MBA works. PAs still have an evolving position within society. Regardless of what happens with the PAs, the MD will always work. You should atleast think of sticking it out.

agree. ms1 and ms2 are the tough years. clinicals are cake, just show up and do the work, then land a cush residency and voila.