Top Business Schools for Physician Executives

[DrJosephKim]

It's not your US News type of "top schools" list, but it's one from the perspective of physician executives (based on Modern Healthcare's survey). Check it out here

If you're a physician interested in an MBA, MHA, or MMM, then you should look through this list before you apply.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[EChipouras]

Thanks for the link

Why is Harvard School of Public Health on the list of business schools?

 

[DrJosephKim]

They're looking primarily at schools that offer degrees that relate to health administration and medical management (i.e, MMM, MHA, or MBA).

The Harvard School of Public Health offers a part-time master of science degree in health care management:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/mhcm/

The common theme is that physician executives don't go into full-time programs for these types of degrees. Instead, they take courses online, at night, etc. They are seasoned, working professionals who have a strong understanding of healthcare issues but want more formal education about the business aspects of medical management.

 

[Eric714]

Any idea where Healthcare EMBA (HCEMBA) at UC Irvine (Paul Merage School) lies in these rankings?

 

[DrJosephKim]

Not sure where UC Irvine falls on this list. However, keep in mind that this is only one list (and of course, it's very likely to be biased).

You'll see that the University of Phoenix and Pacific University are on this list (both are unaccredited). So, does this mean that physician execs don't need to attend an accredited university for their graduate coursework since they already have an MD/DO? Or, does this mean that the list is biased (just like any other school ranking list)?

 

[surg]

This list seems to be a list of places that will give you a degree with the least amount of work.

"The rankings were based on a list of programs awarding MBAs or similar degrees in courses that focus on physicians. All schools ranked offer longdistance
learning programs and have accreditation unless otherwise noted. Programs were ranked on five factors: length of time to complete (the shorter
the program, the higher the rank); cost of tuition for the academic year (the lower the tuition, the higher the rank); number of days students must spend
on campus (the fewer the days, the higher the rank); age of each program in years (the older the program, the higher the rank); and number of total
graduates (the larger the total, the higher the rank). The five rankings were then totaled, with the lowest score getting the highest final rank."

So let's see the ideal school based on this ranking would take zero days to complete, be cheap, let you spend no time on campus, graduate a lot of people and have been around a long time. With the exception of the last one, the rest sound more like a degree mill (not saying any of these programs are, just that they are ranked with the quesiton of how close are they to the idea of a degree mill). The fact that unaccredited programs are even included is just more evidence that this is a incredibly non-useful way to rank these programs.

 

[Pghboy18]

I wouldn't put too much stock in that list, mostly because it leaves out one of the most important factors: quality of graduate network.

Connections are essential to success in the business world, and most of my colleagues who went to business school did so as much for the network as the intellectual skill set (worked in healthcare VC before my post-bacc). Networking is one of the primary reasons why the top business schools are as expensive and competitive as they are. It's also the reason why they're is a huge drop off in ROI when you step down into the second tier.

You're not going to be able to network if you don't go to campus. If you're seriously interested in becoming an "executive" of any sort, I would strongly urge you to take a look at the top 20-30 schools and figure out if you can realistically make a long term commitment to b-school (E-MBA programs at these schools are ok if you're older and can't make it full time). With the credentials of a physician, a good GMAT, and some well conceived self-marketing, you should be competitive.

I would suggest avoiding many of the lower tier and night school programs (again, if your goal is to be an "executive"). Remember, an MBA does not carry the same weight as an MD, and having the letters after your name doesn't do that much for on its own. Finally, be aware of MBA program ranking lists outside of Businessweek, the WSJ, and U.S. News. Every school wants to boast that it's number #1 in something, and many lists or listing categories have sprung up recently to accommodate schools rather than potential students. For example, the Princeton Review ranks Colorado State University (online) as it's "Best Administered MBA of 2009". Nobody knows what that really means, but hey, they're ranked higher than Harvard or Wharton in something...

 

[DrJosephKim]

The list I mentioned is simply one list. Keep in mind that there are many others. For instance, the ACPE (American College of Physician Executives) has their own list of graduate schools they recommend. You obviously won't go wrong if you stick with a top-10 executive program.

 

[arrhythmia7]

It's my opinion that if you already have an M.D., and your intentions are to do something like mgmt. consulting or industry work, you garner a lot more respect with a straight MBA from a top program.
MMMs and MHAs are great if you want to do administrative stuff strictly within healthcare such as helping direct an IPA. Several of the more senior faculty where I work got them 4 or 5 years out of residency in order to leverage themselves into positions like residency program director or section chief.
However, once you start to veer outside of territory occupied by mostly physicians into opportunities where you are the only physician, the above degrees quickly lose utility. MBAs are like branded cattle in the business world - you associate with cows that have similar brands and they allow you to get herded into opportunities that otherwise wouldn't exist. Also, I don't think an MBA precludes you from obtaining the more clinical leadership opportunities.