In the meantime, some unsolicited advice for former students. Go to your class reunions at your undergraduate and graduate school. Beyond the obvious networking opportunities, you will reinvigorate old friendships and, surprisingly, make new ones. You will also have fun.
At our MIT reunion this past weekend (Class of '72), we had a number of nerdy events, as you would expect for our beloved school. One was a poetry contest, based on themes like blogs, Smoots, and "An Inconvenient Truth". Here are three of the notable haiku's that emerged.
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My boyfriend left me.
Everyone knows how I feel
Including my boss.
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I say it is true.
Everyone is an expert
When they have a blog.
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One gas guzzler, please.
Would you like it supersized?
Yes, I love the heat.
5 comments:
I'm a (not as) recent grad working in Boston's healthcare landscape and am contemplating my future on how to advance in this field. I have my B.S. but am under the impression that an advanced degree is necessary to make any real progress.
How do you feel about the various hospital administration degrees that have cropped up in the last 10 years or so? There seems to be quite a bit of alphabet soup what with the MHA, MHSA, MBA-HA, MBA-H_A (insert your own letter), etc., not to mention the MPH derivatives. Naturally, all are accredited, so how does one choose which program to pursue?
A quick web-scan of area hospital CEO, COO, and CFO bios shows lots of MBAs, while MHA-esque and MPH recipients are few and far between. I've heard enough scoffing at MPHs, so those are off my list (apologies to BMC). MBAs are proven, tested, liquid, and established, so that's where I'm leaning. But has there been any talk in your circles about the MHA-esque degrees? Have their recipients had enough time to prove/establish clout in the workforce? The only area CEO I've found who has one (at least publicly acknowledged on a bio) is SEMC's...
While I fully acknowledge that the content of one's professional character (and potential for success) cannot be summed up by letters after one's name, I do know that there are enough people entering these programs to keep them filled. Are they wasting their time/money? Or are they being sufficiently prepared to run hospitals, insurance companies, health departments, etc.?
For that matter, what educational background should tomorrow's healthcare leaders have? Who is prepared to take on the boomers' healthcare needs? Who is worthy of raking in that $1M salary? Should I look into City Planning?
What educational experiences have you valued most in your ascent? If you ran an MHA-esque program, what would you be sure to teach?
Not that it's relevant to management, but do you think it would help him to get an MD?
As someone who has an MPH and works at a hospital with no MBA executives, my two-cents worth is to look into what you want to pursue.
I understand that the questioner is interested in healthcare, and more specifically, hospital administration. I can assure you that having an MBA or any other acronyms after your last name won't automaticallly get you in a door. What are you good at? What is it that you desire to do? If $1M salary is part of what you desire, there are many other industries that can get you there faster.
While grad school education prepared me well for hosital administration, that's not where I gained my passion for the work that I do.
I'm anon 3:30...another area MHA recipient promoted to CNO:
http://www.boston.com/business/healthcare/articles/2007/06/21/hospital_names_patient_care_vp
Alas, 5 Wednesdays, nary a response...Paul, have we lost the weekly "Questions From Students" posts?
Anon 3:30
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