If you decide to get an MHA I would suggest that you attend one of these three schools:

Trinity University
The University of Alabama-Birmingham
Wash U. (St. Louis)

I gruaduated from Trinity last year, and I'm already working in an upper level administrative position at a Dallas area hospital. 3 of my classmates have been accepted into HCA's COO Development program. They will all be Hospital Chief Operating Officers by the time they reach their early 30's.

Trinity requires a residency. All 23 of my classmates landed a residency, and almost all of them are gainfully employed in the health care field.

The hours can be long, and the job can be stressful, but it's really what you make of it. You can find great jobs where you get paid well and work 45 hours a week, or you can work 80 hours a week and get paid a ton. It's really up to the individual person.

MBA over MHA any day of the week. You will have more options during your life in general. Especially after you learn that you hate being on the administrative side of healthcare about 5 years from now. Try to get into the best MBA program you can - the rest will work itself out.

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OK, so this could be the clincher for you: do you enjoy face-to-face interaction with patients? (Things like giving directions, answering questions, visitation, helping with complaints, giving wheelchair assistance, etc.) A lot of people aren't comfortable with helping patients.

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Well, I've worked in a hospital for the past two years, in direct interaction with patients. I do like the interaction, and I'm plenty comfortable with helping patients. So yeah, I guess if I had to pick one end of the spectrum, I'd be on the "enjoy" side.

WhoDat, I requested a brochure from HBU on their MHA program, and it came in the mail yesterday. I can't find anything in it about application deadlines, though. Did they mention that at the informational meeting you went to?

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So yeah, I guess if I had to pick one end of the spectrum, I'd be on the "enjoy" side.

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A MHA sounds like a better fit for you than a MPH, then.

That's pretty much what I'm thinking, too. My supervisor and manager have both told me before that they think I'd make a good manager or administrator, so that's a positive sign as well.

Heh,

My wife told me that her debate partner was recently named CEO of one of the Hermann Memorial hospitals in Houston. She got her MHA/MBA in '95.

The dude was older but that's not a bad timeframe huh?