Physicians who earn an MBA in healthcare management in addition to their medical degree report that their dual training has provided such benefits as career acceleration, professional flexibility, and credibility in multidisciplinary domains.
According to a study of physicians with MBAs by researchers at Perelman School of Medicine and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, 40 to 50 percent of study respondents said their MBA conveyed leadership, management and business skills in addition to professional credibility provided by the MD title.
Physicians with MBAs increasingly take on leadership and administrative positions as their careers advance, the study shows. For instance, 19.2 percent of physicians with MBAs who graduated in the 1980s reported clinical practice as their primary work sector, as opposed to 46.2 percent of respondents who graduated in the 2000s.
"Moving forward, changing dynamics triggered by national healthcare reform will likely require leaders to have a better balance between clinical care and business savvy. Graduates with MD and MBA training could potentially fill this growing need within the sector," said Mitesh S. Patel, MD, MBA, lead author and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at UPenn, in the release.
More Articles on Physician Issues:
Physicians Unlikely to Encourage Young People to Enter the Field, Survey Finds
MU Medical School Struggles to Improve Diversity
Many Physicians Regret Career Choice, Survey Says