Should I get a Master of Business Administration? The anesthesiologist with education training: training options and professional opportunities

Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. 2009 Apr;22(2):191-8. doi: 10.1097/ACO.0b013e3283232c4e.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Many physicians want to know whether they should get a Master of Business Administration (MBA), what type of program is best, and what career paths exist.

Recent findings: It is commonly (incorrectly) assumed that a physician successful in clinical practice can easily transfer to managing/leading an organization. To be effective, the MD/MBA must bridge the cultures of the business world and medicine. Often just a single management course is sufficient to give the physician the knowledge they seek. MBA programs come in many forms and require choosing from a range of time commitments. Leaving a good clinical job in favor of the less-defined course of an MD/MBA can be daunting. Although a wide spectrum of opportunities are available, the MD/MBA may have to start over professionally, most likely with a pay cut, and will have to 'work their way up' again. A stigma exists for MD/MBAs because they are often perceived as caring more about business than about patients. Many MD/MBAs eventually choose to stay in full-time medical practice because financial and geographic stability may be more easily attained.

Summary: The MBA is a good idea for the physicians who enjoy the intellectual challenges of business administration and proactively plan their own career.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Administrative Personnel / education*
  • Anesthesiology / economics
  • Anesthesiology / education*
  • Anesthesiology / ethics
  • Career Mobility*
  • Commerce / education*
  • Curriculum
  • Goals
  • Humans
  • Professional Competence
  • Surveys and Questionnaires