Physicians, nurses, and advanced practice providers strive to provide excellent care. Supply chain limitations, operational decisions, workforce shortages, and insurance reimbursement structures also impact the quality of care a clinician provides.
Recognizing how external and internal factors increasingly influence the care given at the bedside, healthcare professionals have discovered the benefits of learning the business side of healthcare.
The Executive MBA in Healthcare at the University of Pittsburgh’s Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business provides the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate this complex landscape.
Chair of Plastic Surgery Calls Program ‘Invaluable’
J. Peter Rubin, MD (EMBA ‘19), started his career as a surgeon-scientist and is currently the UPMC Endowed Professor of Plastic Surgery and chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC. Once in his leadership role, he realized he needed an additional skillset.
Rubin said the conversations he now has with administrators are completely different than before he earned his Executive MBA in Healthcare at Katz.
“I run a major service line in the health system and being able to put together a supply chain unit, understand how that fits in with clinical care and clinical services, and be able to have both the clinical perspective and the business perspective is really invaluable,” he says.
Nurse Practitioner Switches to Leadership Role
After starting her career as an intensive care nurse and then becoming an acute care nurse practitioner, Alex Bartow, MSN, ACNP-BC, RN (EMBA ‘19), earned her Executive MBA in Healthcare, pivoting her into a role where she is the director of clinical quality capture for the Wolf Center at UPMC.
“Through the Executive MBA program, I got to see how all of the pieces of the puzzle come together,” says Bartow. “You get to see the whole business of healthcare and how you fit into that puzzle. All the lessons learned in the program would have taken me years to learn independently.”
Executive MBA in Healthcare Expands Career Options
While many graduates use this degree to move into administrative roles, others like cardiologist and entrepreneur Satish Madiraju, MD (EMBA ‘20), applied what he learned in the program to start his businesses.
After earning this degree, he made a mid-career transition from a cardiologist to the world of start-ups and moved to India.
“I am a very different person now since I completed my MBA,” says Madiraju, now the founder and CEO of Aware, a health rewards app. “As a start-up founder, one hour you’re in sales, the next hour you’re doing marketing, the third hour you’re pitching to investors, so it requires diverse skillsets that I certainly didn’t have before.”
Gain Insights from Every Aspect of Healthcare
While they all have 10+ years of experience, the students in the Executive MBA program come from all aspects of healthcare. Nurses, physicians, advanced practice providers, insurance executives, and social workers approach patient care differently, leading to insightful conversations.
The 19-month program balances online work with in-person classes one weekend per month.
Make an Impact on the Future of Healthcare
If you are ready to combine your clinical experience with the business skills needed to improve patient outcomes, register for a short online information session, visit the program’s website, schedule a time to discuss the program or contact the program at executiveprograms@katz.pitt.edu with any questions. Applications are due March 8 for the cohort that begins in May.
