Growth in nursing jobs

We seem to see ads for nursing jobs everywhere. If you type "nursing jobs" into an Internet search engine like Google or Yahoo, you'll see a variety of ads mixed with your search results. People are going back to school to pursue nursing jobs. After all, isn't the health care industry more stable compared to the business world? I'm sure we all know many non-clinicians who are going back to school to pursue health care careers such as nursing. The irony is that I also work with physicians who are planning on transitioning to non-clinical careers and several of them are thinking about graduate degrees in business, public health, and informatics. Some of these graduate degree programs are available online, so you can work and go to school at the same time. Are you willing to work full-time and take courses part-time? That's one way of going back to school while maintaining your income.

Maybe you've thought about going back to school. Maybe you're thinking about it right now. Are you looking at full-time programs? Part-time? Online? I know business executives who are applying to part-time nursing schools. Some are taking courses online. I also know other business executives interested in various part-time and full-time health care programs in pharmacy and medicine. Are you thinking about a career change? Maybe you should think about going back to school.

US News college rankings and MIT

MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) was ranked as #4 overall among U.S. universities and #1 in engineering. Specific engineering disciplines at MIT that U.S. News also ranked as the nation's best include: aeronautics and astronautics, chemical, electrical and computer science, materials and mechanical (that was me). I studied mechanical engineering at MIT and look at me now. I'm blogging about medicine and technology. The MIT Sloan School of Management was rated the nation's fifth MBA program behind Harvard, Stanford, Northwestern and the University of Pennsylvania. A salute to all my friends and colleagues from MIT!

Do We Need More Doctors?

According to this commentary on CNN, the answer seems to be "no." Well, perhaps we should explore this a bit further. This story is written by Clayton Christensen, Dr. Jason Hwang (there's another common Asian name), and Vineeta Vijayaraghavan. Here's a bit of background:

• Clayton M. Christensen is the Robert and Jane Cizik Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, co-founder of Innosight Institute, and the best-selling author of six books.
• Jason Hwang, M.D., M.B.A. is co-founder and executive director of healthcare at Innosight Institute.
• Vineeta Vijayaraghavan, M.B.A. is a Research Fellow at Innosight Institute.
  
• Innosight Institute is a non-profit think tank whose mission is to apply Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen’s theories of disruptive innovation to develop and promote solutions to the most vexing problems in the social sector.
  

One point they make is this: "There is a shortage of health care services being provided, but many of them are not best offered by a doctor."

I agree with that statement. However, I also personally believe that we also have a shortage of physicians, especially when we look at rural and other types of underserved areas of this country. If you live in a major metropolitan area, then you won't have any problems finding a doctor (you may have a challenge finding one who takes your insurance, but that's another story). The authors acknowledge the fact that health care is unevenly distributed around the nation, but then they point out that "Studies of geographical disparities of care have demonstrated that more physicians will likely lead to greater intensity of care -- but not better health outcomes." So where does that lead us? What about all the incentive programs that try to drive physicians to these underserved areas? Are those failing?

The authors also argue that we need to embrace more eHealth solutions. I also agree with this point. Technology is making it easier for patients to receive some basic health services

So what's the solution? The authors propose this: "what the country really needs are policies that pave the way to more avenues of care, which is well within the government's control."

Business Schools for Physician Executives

If you're interested in business school to pursue an MBA (business administration), MMM (medical management), or MHA (health administration), then take a look at this: Top Business Graduate Schools for Physician Executives

The data is from Modern Healthcare's 2009 survey.

Reading List 2009: What They Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School: Notes From A Street-Smart Executive

I'm going to start keeping a reading list of the books I hope to read in 2009. I had a really interesting phone conversation with a physician on the west coast this morning. As we started talking, our conversation drifted to the book titled, "What They Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School: Notes From A Street-Smart Executive." I haven't read it, but I'd really like to. Therefore, I'm adding it to my 2009 reading list and I'll probably get it from Amazon. Thanks to Sermo, I have some Amazon gift certificate credit that I need to use.

The author is Mark H. McCormack and ironically, he didn't actually attend HBS (Harvard Business School). Instead, he was a Yale-trained attorney. But was he qualified to write such a book? Absolutely! He is considered the Pioneer of Sports Marketing and he died in 2003. He was an entrepreneur with a lot of street smarts and we can all probably learn a lot from him.

Consulting for McKinsey or the Boston Consulting Group

It seems like many students who pursue a joint MD/MBA want to get a consulting job at McKinsey & Company. Who wouldn't? I've known several people who have worked at McKinsey and I'm always fascinated by the unique stories associated with the McKinsey culture. I've also met medical school graduates who have pursued opportunities at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG, not to be confused with the BCG vaccine). So what about you? Do you have strong interests in the business/consulting industry? If you're pre-med, are you planning on pursuing an MD/MBA program? As I look back on my education, I often wonder whether I would have pursued a combined MD/MBA. Since I lacked "real world" working experience before applying to medical school, I think I would have been lost in business school. Had a been a non-traditional student who had worked for several years prior to applying to medical school, then I would have seriously considered a combined MD/MBA program.

Pharma Job Fair

Pharm Country Career Fair
Monday, March 30, 2009, 2pm to 7pm
Radisson Valley Forge
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

Looks like you can get information about business school if you're interested in getting an MBA during these difficult economic times.

Companies include:

Aerotek Scientific, LLC
Almac Clinical Technologies
CSL Behring
Fox School of Business - Temple University
Globus Medical, Inc.
Merck Research Laboratories
Morphotek
Octagon Research Solutions, Inc.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Shire
Siegfried (USA), Inc.

Find out more at BioSpace: http://www.biospace.com/

Major Growth of Small Businesses

Because of the current economic climate, I think we will start seeing many different types of small businesses start to pop up everywhere. Corporate executives are getting laid off and many are having a difficult time finding a new job. Others are going back to full-time school with hopes that opportunities will be available when they graduate. Entrepreneurs are getting excited because our country is entering uncharted territory and there are some unique business opportunities. If you're a practicing clinician, you probably have more stability compared to people working in banking/finance/investments/etc. However, I feel that this is also a unique time for clinicians to put their heads together and come up with some opportunities to leverage the potential future needs/wants of doctors and other healthcare professionals who may face some major changes under this new administration. We all know that healthcare IT is moving forward with tremendous traction because of Obama. This includes EHR/EMR/PHR and other elements of health-related information technology. We also know that if some type of universal healthcare coverage rolls out, then primary care clinicians will have additional burdens placed on them. So, what are we to do? Start a company? Are you ready to take out a small business loan? Will the banks be willing to provide loans during times of such economic uncertainty?

Balancing Full-Time Jobs and Part-Time Education

It's tough enough balancing a full-time job and a personal/family life. When you add an educational degree on top of that, then it gets to be very tricky! There are many people who find that they are more productive when they're pushed to the limit. Of course, you can get burned out very quickly if you're being pushed to the extreme, so you have to know your limits.

For me, I enjoy reading and learning new things. In some ways, I wish I could be a lifelong student (as long as someone pays me so that I can pay the bills, take care of my loans, etc.). However, the reality is that we need to be productive with our time, resources, and talents. I enjoyed getting my MPH (master's in public health) while I was working full-time. It was motivating and stimulating. I admit that there were days when I just wanted to be finished with my MPH. Once I was done, I felt a huge sense of relief. However, I also know that I can do it again - and that's why I've been thinking about business school. I'm still not sure where (and if) it fits into my life and my career plan, but I hope that it will at some point.

If you've been considering a part-time education and you're currently working full-time, keep this in mind: many schools offer you the option to enroll in one or two classes as a non-degree student. This gives you the flexibility to test the waters and try things out first. If you find that the work/life/school balance is too difficult, then you may need to reconsider your options. However, I'd have to think that many people would find the balance manageable - as long as you prioritize wisely. If you have the luxury to stop your day job and enroll in a full-time educational program, then you're very lucky. That's probably the best learning option if you can afford such an investment. As for me, I need to play the balancing act of work/life/education in order to stay alive and support my family. That's the practical side of life.

Business Exchange

If you frequent BusinessWeek online, then you may have stumbled upon Business Exchange. It's still in beta, but it appears like a solid social networking site where you can exchange thoughtful ideas, opinions, and resources. Have you been thinking about business school? If you have unsettled questions about b-school (regarding tuition, online classes, etc.), then you should take a look.

For those healthcare professionals who are planning a transition to a non-clinical career, it may be a good investment of time to take some online business courses. Some are even offered for FREE, so why not?

Distance Learning: Online Education

As e-learning technologies improve, graduate-level distance learning programs are becoming stronger than ever. Want to see what your classmates look like? Then schedule a video conference call to work on a group project. These types of interactions are becoming more and more popular among today's online degree programs. Don't have time to sit in a classroom? Then watch the lecture online on your laptop.

There are obviously pro and cons to online education. However, for busy doctors and other healthcare professionals, the pros may far outweigh the cons. This may be especially true if you don't live in a major city where you may have access to executive and evening programs (such as an executive MBA). You'll have to decide after you do your research.

Online MBA at a "Top Tier" B-School

Is it possible to get an online MBA through a "top tier" b-school in the USA? I suppose it depends on how you define "top tier."

BusinessWeek has a list of top 30 full-time business schools. Within that list, Indiana University (Kelley) is the only school that offers a true online program. Carnegie Mellon (Tepper) is also on that list of top 30, but the online program they offer is very selective and you have to live within specific cities to participate in that program.

Thunderbird is considered a "second tier" school by BusinessWeek. They offer an online MBA. Arizona State (Carey) and Babson are other "second tier" schools that offer an online MBA degree.

There are many other schools that are ranked on BusinessWeek (either for their Executive MBA or their part-time MBA). Some of them also offer online programs. Schools that come to mind include: Drexel (LeBow); the University of Florida (Warrington); Villanova; U Mass Amherst (Isenberg); and several others.

I find that the phrase "online MBA" or "distance learning MBA" can be leading because some programs still require a considerable time on campus. Therefore, it's important to clarify and to differentiate which programs are 100% online. I often meet physicians and medical students who are interested in online MBA programs. Most of them are interested in the didactic learning and less motivated by the social networking aspects of b-school. I suppose it really depends on your reasons for pursuing an MBA and your overall career goals.

MD, MBA Program List on the Student Doctor Network

There's a great list of MD, MBA (or MD/MBA) programs on the Student Doctor Network

If you already have your MD and you're thinking about B-school, then you've come to the right place. I have some resources here about getting an MBA for physicians and other healthcare professionals.

Distance MBA Programs

If you're thinking about a distance MBA program (or online MBA), then you may want to read this interesting article by Dr. Frank de Langen, Open University of the Netherlands and Global Distance MBA. Some of the issues that he addresses may seem very simple and obvious, but if you read through his article, you'll soon find that there are many things that lie beneath the surface of an online MBA program. Some distance learning MBA programs still require live classroom time. Others are 100% online.

You won't have the networking opportunities if you go through a distance MBA program. Most feel that the networking experience is one of the most valuable things about B school. However, if you can't afford to stop working and you need a ton of flexibility, then a distance MBA might be the right fit for you. However, make sure you know what you're pursuing and why you plan to go to B school. It's a significant investment of time, money, and energy.

Thinking About Business School?

If you're a healthcare professional (physician, pharmacist, nurse, PA, NP, etc.), and you're thinking about business school (also referred to as "B school,") to get an MBA, then you may be doing some research into part-time programs. After all, you probably can't afford to stop work and enter a full-time program. This is a common scenario for many clinicians. Even though I don't have an MBA, I frequently get asked questions about B school from doctors and medical students.

Business Week has a nice summary of part-time MBA programs:
http://bwnt.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/bschool_ptmba_2007/

It's an old summary, but it may give you some direction as you plan your future. Care to share your thoughts about B School? I'd love to hear from you.

Rise in MBA applications

It's no surprise. According to BusinessWeek, more and more people are going back to school. Applications to business schools are on the rise and many are attributing this to the changes in our economy. The personal and financial investment required is significant since most b schools have very high tuition fees.

Are you a lifelong learner? Have you been thinking about b school? Full-time or part-time?