Undergraduate Business now in Med School

[lowbudget]

Interesting new forum! Generic question, but interested in everyone's opinion...

If you all had majored in business as an undergrad and worked a couple of years after undergrad before med school, would you go for an MBA (ever)?

(or... what is the "value-add" of an MBA for an MD with an undergrad business background?)

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[mward04]

Honestly, I probably wouldn't get an MBA at that point. Many of my MBA friends (not in healthcare) say that the classes are worthless and the major benefit comes from networking. Well, to an MD/MBA that plans on practicing/residency, the networking isn't that helpful because you are going to be in isolation for the next 3-9 years doing residency anyway. To me, the key is to get that core business education. That's what I want. There are plenty of business-savvy docs that don't have an MBA nor do they need one. Same thing applies to people in business, not everyone has an MBA.

However, one benefit that a BBA does not confer is the instant credibility those three little letters provide you. I've had numerous people automatically defer their opinion to me (even though I haven't started my MBA classes yet!) simply because I said I'm in the MD/MBA program. It also has opened a lot of doors for me. But I don't think I'd be pushing so hard for an MBA now had I had that undergrad experience.

 

[!dr_nick!]

If you already have an BBA, i think the MBA would be worthless. You should have enough background to teach yourself how to run a business if you acquire the appropriate literature and make the right contacts.
I would just find a succesful private practice and analyze their business model.

I have a bba, NO plans for an MBA ever ever ever ever ever!!!

 

[iatrosB]

My business minor has more than prepared me for the business of medicine. An MBA will not go into much more depth than a BBA, it just helps for team work skills and networking. If you are not business savy, an MBA really won't magiacally turn your practice into a model of effeciency, you need to have the acumen inately. On the other hand, the three letters after your name speak volumes for some reason so that is reason enough to sleep through the classes and obtain the MBA.

 

[Aucdoctobe]

I don?t know if I could agree with the equivalence of a Bachelor?s degree in Business to an MBA. The classes for the MBA were more in depth and harder. Finance on the undergraduate level was a joke compared to finance on the graduate level.

Plus, your classmates contribute greatly to your education. Often times in undergraduate, the people are too young to have any experience in the business world. The MBA is usually not like this. You have a host of very successful people furthering their education. People who have made it in the business world and will readily contribute their ideas. I learned so much from talking with people like this.

Business sense is business sense. But the best way to learn it is to observe others who are successful. I got that opportunity as an MBA.

 

[Aucdoctobe]

One such example was that every core class required some sort of case study to be done. These were quite intensive but I learned so much from every one of them. I learned to set up statistical and financial models, increased my tax accounting skills, and got into some serious economic theory.

This was not there at the undergraduate level where it's a matter of grasping the basic concepts.

 

[DrIng]

I have a business undergarduate degree and have worked as an accountant and on non-profit boards and from theat background I would sya the benefit of getting an MBA depends on what you want to use it for. As a general business background to help int he busienss of medicine it may not be necessary for the rpestiege or if you want to go into consulting or working for pharmaceuticals etc it may be useful. In other words, there's no clear cut answer.