OK...starting either MBA program or Masters In HealthCare Admin in Spring or Fall...

I like the Healthcare field because it's impervious to the rest of the economy to a certain degree...there will always be a need.

And, I've had a lot of MBA friends have trouble finding a job because there are so darn many now and the job market for the past 3 years...so Masters in Health Admin is more specialized and there is need in every Healthcare system in the US....

Although MBA is more broad and more applicable in Business if I don't stay in Healthcare.

Any thoughts?

PS. If I do Health Admin in will be at Houston Baptist University and MBA would be at UofH or Tulane(bought a house in Houston and wife works here...so limited to Houston programs.)

I'm actually trying to figure out the exact same thing (along with a third option of a Masters in Public Health). Sorry I don't really have anything to help with your question, though.

Do you know much about HBU's MHA program?

I approached this same crossroads about four years ago. I made the decision to go the MBA route primarily because I didn't want to pigeon hole myself in healthcare at the time. I just chose the MBA so I could open the doors to more opportunities outside healthcare. I can always go back with my MBA if I choose to do so. However, the MHA will obviously have the advantage over the MBA in job hunting for healthcare jobs.

I was in Healthcare Adm at a hospital for three years prior to getting my MBA. It was great experience and don't regret it at all. I just realized after three years of working in the hospital environment that it wasn't for me.

The cons I experienced that made me change my mind:
- highly regulated
- dealing with hundreds of doctors who all want their personal agendas done yesterday and who will work in collusion against you if you make a move one of them doesn't like
- very litigious
- long hours and being on call much of the time
- EXTREMELY political
- high stress environment

However, I don't want to discourage you from getting one because it can be a rewarding career and the healthcare segment is going to grow like gangbusters. Plus, you can do other things besides hospital adminstration with that degree.

I encourage you to talk to people in the business if at all possible before you make this decision.

For the money, I think the MBA is better all the way around. A few years ago I started to get an MHA. I did that for a year and then dropped it for an MBA program. It was the best decision that I could have made.

Dat is absolutely right about an MBA being more appealing if you think that you might leave healthcare. If there is a chance that you will change industries then an MBA is definitely the way to go.

However, even in healthcare an MBA is more desirable in most cases. If you work in R&E or a more clinical field, then an MHA/MPH might be more valued but that is about it. Anything in healthcare Finance/Accounting will definitely be more MBA/CPA friendly and many operations management jobs are going that way too. It used to be that operations mangers were more clinical than financial. I am seeing that trend reverse and we are starting to hire more MBA's to run our operating units.

At least this is what I see at my company (a billion $$ health system).

That's my $0.02. I hope that helps.

quote:

---

The Healthcare Administration Program at the University of Houston Clear Lake (UHCL) offers two graduate degrees: The Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) degree and the dual Master of Healthcare Administration/Master of Business Administration (MHA/MBA) degree.

---

Do both.

http://prtl.uhcl.edu/portal/page?_pageid=352,304707&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTALP

MPA, baby!

maestro...Public Affairs, or Public Administration?

Thanks for all the input fellas. There is of course the MHA/MBA option which takes 1 year longer...maybe?

Jackel99, The HBU MHA program seems to be pretty good. I went to an informational last night. It's the cheapest option in Houston...very flexible program...and well regarded in the field...full time is two nights a week from 6-10. No wkend classes. Takes an average of 2.25 years.

Public admin.

I have a question I was about to post, but its so close to this topic, I might as well ask here.

Is it possible to get a respectable MBA or MHA while working full time? I finish up my MS in Physician Assistant Studies this summer and plan to start working right away. I would like to start working on either my MBA or MHA within the next 5 years.

(EDIT) Well, now that I have posted, I see my question has somewhat been answered! Is this what most people do? (work and get their MBA with night classes) How many programs require internships and such?

Obviously I will look more in depth at certain programs when the time comes, but for now, does anyone have input on working and getting an MBA at the same time?



[This message has been edited by latrobe_Ag (edited 1/19/2005 9:53a).]

WhoDat, will you email me please? It's in my profile. I'd like to find out more about the program.

I agree with YouBet, but disagree with JCAG. The most marketable degrees for hospital administration are by far the MHA/MHSA/MPH/MRH degrees. The healthcare environment in which a MBA might be more desirable is physician practice management. Physician groups tend to look for CPAs for their practice manager positions. If you're interested in working for a physician group instead of a hospital, you may want to consider a MBA/CPA combination instead of a MHA.

YouBet is perhaps a bit too pessimistic about hospital administration, but there's no denying that it can be a highly stressful job. It can also be very rewarding. Industry organizations like ACHE, MGMA, AHIMA, etc also provide a strong network of knowledge and support for early careerists. If you haven't done so already, contact an administrator at one of the local hospitals and meet with him/her. Say that you're considering healthcare administration as a career; they'll be happy to talk to you, and you may wind up with a mentor if you continue in the field.

As for the programs in Houston, Clear Lake has a good reputation and active alumni support. You should also look at the program at the Houston campus of Texas Woman's University. (I got my MSHA at the Parkland campus in Dallas while working full-time at BCBSTX. TWU's program is designed for working students.) The Tulane program is relatively new; I don't know much about it.

I will have an MBA from a UH satellite campus this May. UH is pretty easy - compared to A&M. I've heard that HBU has a good MBA? If you were planning on staying in the health care field, I'd go with something in that field.

I'd definately look at Rice (if you can get in) over UH if you don't have to keep your full time job. It has a LOT better MBA program than UH and having a master's from Rice will definately give you an advantage over the UH people.

"...I will not make my friends run wind sprints for playing soft defense at recess..." X 500 times

[This message has been edited by The Chicken Ranch (edited 1/19/2005 10:30a).]

I have looked into the MHA program at TWU's Houston campus. As I work in the Medical Center in Houston, that would be convenient. It's still a matter of deciding if I want to go for an MHA or an MPH, though.

One other important consideration when you look at MHA programs:

Thesis or residency?

Some MHA programs require the completion of an administrative residency or fellowship in order to graduate. Those that do will likely offer a thesis option instead. After graduation, I did a residency at Scott & White in Temple. It didn't pay well in salary, but the experience I gained was fantastic. (TWU didn't require the residency, but after working solely in health insurance I wanted the clinical experience of rotating through an integrated healthcare system.)

[This message has been edited by G Martin 87 (edited 1/19/2005 10:37a).]

G Martin, without getting too specific about it, can I ask what you do now?

I'm the director of admitting and patient registration for LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport.

G Martin

I guess I should clarify. The MBA trend I was talking about is more in our physician practice, but is also starting to show up in the hospital as well.

Also, when where you at Scott and White? That's where I work, maybe we have crossed paths.

Get the medical one. it affords more options and you can move up quicker.

Once you have established yourself for a few years you can move into the bussiness world with a boat load of upper level management experiance.

MBAs are a dime a dozen right now and the market is flooded.

I know people who's MBAs only got them an enrty level position.

What would look more attractive to you.

Some one with a masters that has HR, Budget, supply chain, risk management, supervisory, and organizational experiance of a major supplyer of goods and services.. ie.. Hospital admin.

Or someone with a masters that has been doing data entry and might have a little supervisory experiance.

Both are solid degrees, but the the MHA you will have the ability to move up so much faster with a less convoluted market.

Interesting viewpoint, Kyle. And that's exactly why I'm considering an MHA over an MBA at this point. Do you work in the health and/or management field at all?

My mom got her MHA from TWU about 6-7 years ago. It was huge for her career. Her salary has more than doubled to a nice six figure level and she now has over 160 employees. She works at Parkland Hospital in Dallas.

One more thing on the dual MBA/MHA - my wife completed hers in 2 years at UH Clear Lake and then had a one year residency. She worked full-time or near full-time and took the classes at night.

thanks for the input pj.

I am thinking along the lines with Mighty Kyle.

Healthcare is a good field for many reasons...impervious to the rest of the economy (will always be need). It IS litigious...but most everything is at a high level.

Baby Boomers will be needing more and more healthcare as they age. My Dad's been an Admin. for Memorial Hermann for 5 years (Long Term Care Administration...a little different) and that was the only field in Houston that was hiring during the recession and giving bonuses etc....that I knew of.

Amazing. Talk about a small world:

JCAG -- I did my residency from '97 to '99. Dick Sweeden was the Administrator then, and my boss. I also worked a lot with Donny Sequin. I spend most of my residency as the acting director of medical records.

TRIDENT -- I got my MSHA in 97, so your mom was probably in some of my classes at TWU.

Dat -- the S&W residency program took two residents in '97. The other one (K Hopkins)wound up at Memorial Hermann as a CFO. Your dad probably knows him.

Wow. There's some great info here. I know I didn't start the thread, but this has helped me a lot as well. Thanks, guys!

And now my decision becomes that much harder.

Jackal, you mentioned earlier you were trying to decide between a MHA and a MPH. Are you primarily interested in day-to-day management or epidemiology and statistics? Also, are you more likely to pursue government jobs?

quote:

---

Is it possible to get a respectable MBA or MHA while working full time? I finish up my MS in Physician Assistant Studies this summer and plan to start working right away. I would like to start working on either my MBA or MHA within the next 5 years.

(EDIT) Well, now that I have posted, I see my question has somewhat been answered! Is this what most people do? (work and get their MBA with night classes) How many programs require internships and such?

---

labrobe,
Answer to your first question is definitely. Depending on the program, most people who are getting their MBAs these days are working full-time and are enrolled in "professional" or part-time programs. This trend is expected to continue nationwide and has completely flipped in some cases. For example, my b-school has something like 65-70% of its students in the professional program vs. the full-time program. Was the opposite 6-7 years ago.

Full-timers generally have more internships than part-timers for obvious reasons - already working. Our programs didn't require internships but it's a given that should do it if you are full-time.

Plus, most MBA programs no longer require a thesis.

[This message has been edited by YouBet (edited 1/19/2005 1:46p).]

quote:

---

YouBet is perhaps a bit too pessimistic about hospital administration,

---

I was. Should have included more pros. Don't get me wrong it can be very rewarding and the pay can be great. I just listed the personal reasons why I got out.

However, I haven't ruled it out and still may get back in healthcare in some capacity. I've retained my connections and it's going to be a booming sector with tons of opportunity.

G Martin

I have been here since 1996, so I am certain that we have probably met. Donnie is still here and is now the system COO. Dick has been retired for a few years but I still see him at church and around the community. Those were two excellent men to learn from.

quote:

---

Jackal, you mentioned earlier you were trying to decide between a MHA and a MPH. Are you primarily interested in day-to-day management or epidemiology and statistics? Also, are you more likely to pursue government jobs?

---

That's another thing I can't seem to narrow down, G Martin. The management aspect does appeal more to me than something like epi or biostats. I wouldn't say I'd necessarily set out to pursue a government job, but it's definitely something I'd consider.

I haven't read through all of the post, so I don't know if this has been said. My mom has worked in a hospital for the past 10 years or so, and knows a lot of CEO's on a personal level. They all had MBA's, and she was telling me about this young guy that they hired last year. He's got a masters in healthcare, and he told my mom that if he had it to do over again, that he'd choose an MBA because it's not as limiting. That has weighed a lot on my decision for what to get my masters in after a couple of years of working.

JCAG, e-mail me at gmarti1@lsuhsc.edu sometime. I'm sure our paths crossed at some point.

quote:

---

The management aspect does appeal more to me than something like epi or biostats. I wouldn't say I'd necessarily set out to pursue a government job, but it's definitely something I'd consider.

---

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.