Hi,
If you really want to work in Healthcare Management, do you really need a MBA to move up? If so, what are the best schools in the US for Healthcare Management MBA?
No you don’t. I have worked in health care for the past 6 years and most mid and upper management don’t have an MBA. The only ones I see with MBA behind their name are usually young kids fresh out of college who want to climb the career ladder faster. But no one takes them seriously. An MBA with no work experience behind it carries about as much weight as a paper hammer.
In healthcare, once you get past a bachelors degree, experience trumps degrees. I would recommend getting about ten years experience under your belt. You should be able to climb the ladder pretty fast in that time if you are smart and have good work ethic. It’s pretty easy to move up in the Healthcare world. I have been promoted 4 times in 6 years.
At the end of that ten years if you decide to get your MBA it will carry a lot more weight now that you have some experience behind it. You would then be in a good position to try for a CEO position at a hospital or some other healthcare organization. Not to mention the fact that whatever company you are working for will probably pay for you to go back and get your MBA.
Remember, never pay to learn when you can get paid to learn. It doesn’t make sense. I would recommend starting in nursing home admin after graduation as it is easy to get into and pays well. Check out my blog for other good career advice. I will be doing a blog post soon about careers for Health Care Admin Grads.
Joe Earl, www.the-undergrad.com