MHA or MBA for Becoming a Hospital CEO? 

That's awesome! I'm so glad the video helped. If I can do anything for you please let me know!

Hi ​@@dr.jeffcomer5185 can h suggest the good colleges for MHA

You are very welcome! You can't go wrong with that! Good luck.

That is great. Best of luck!

Hello Nate! Thank you so much. I'm glad you like the videos and really appreciate you passing them along! Most importantly, congratulations on the VCU MHA! That is an excellent program with great faculty and alumni. Let me know how everything progresses for you!

Hello! I'm so glad you like my videos! That is great to hear! It's funny - I've been getting a lot of requests lately for that type of video you are suggesting. Briefly, regarding the MHA and that best schools - there are a lot of great ones! Look into the alumni network. That is is so important for your first job after completing graduate school. Make sure that the school has a strong alumni network and that they are in locations you want to potentially live. Also, try to talk to some students of schools you are considering. It's important to learn about the culture of the school and make sure it's a good fit for you. Current students can provide the best insight into that. There are certainly the national rankings of top programs (US News and World Report for example) and they can be helpful. Regardless of a school's ranking, I firmly believe that making sure that there is a strong alumni network and that you feel there is a good fit for you are the two most important factors in selecting an MHA program.

You have awesome experience! Being in EVS, you see all areas of the hospital. You interact with clinical and non-clinical staff, leaders, patients - everyone. Definitely knock out the MHA and you will be in a perfect place to get into management and higher! Best wishes to you! Let me know if I can ever be of assistance.

hhhhmmmm. Let me think about that. I admit that I have seen many CNO's struggle with that transition. There are definitely some commonalities in why many CNOs struggle when they go to CEO roles. Let me see what I can put together.

Tell him best wishes on that path! Now is the best time in history to become a pilot. I know it's a long road to get there, but he will love it when he does. I actually started flying when I was 16 and thought it would be a fun career. Like your husband, I completed all my certificates/ratings and built a lot of flight time. I actually did fly professionally for a couple of years as a corporate jet Captain. I loved doing it but finally realized my calling was in health care. So, now I just fly for fun!

@@dr.jeffcomer5185 I will tell him! That’s interesting. I know my husband would love to fly jets one day. I have flown with him a few times and I can tell it makes him so happy. He’s been begging me to buy a plane and I told him I’d like to buy a house first lol. 😅

Thank you much! Glad you like the videos.

@@dr.jeffcomer5185 pleasure is mine sir. I am Indian surgeon planning to move to UK. Recently I have got an intense desire to persue MBA in healthcare management. However,the programme is unfortunately offered at much higher fee structures.. Furthermore,I am not sure if corporate hospitals accept online MBA ( which I believe they probably won't)... Still part time MBA remains a viable option... Kindly give me a brief info sir..

@@tariqhassan3046 The online MBA is certainly doable. I admit, that an in person MBA will probably be seen as more favorable, but there are some excellent online programs now and after covid they became much more acceptable.

Definitely take a look at hospital administration. It is not for everyone and it quite challenging, but I think it is a great career path that enables you to make a huge difference in people's lives!

Hi Steven, absolutely - and MPH will work (of course the experience requirements remain the same regardless of the degree!). Good luck.

Hi Tim, I'm so glad you enjoy the videos and they are helpful! Typically, the MHA schools consider many factors: GPA, GMAT, references, essays, interviews, volunteering, and work experience. I've seen plenty of people get into very good MHA program with little or no work experience if they are strong in other areas. My suggestion to you is to focus on on your overall application - addressing each of the items I listed above. Then getting internships or an entry-level part time job in a hospital can certainly be of value. The best way to do this is to network. I'm a big fan of Linkedin for networking. Reach our to Executives, Directors, and Managers at your local hospitals and tell them what you are doing. Many of them will be happy to work with you or make suggestions for current job openings. You can also get a great work experience by volunteering with non-profits - many small non-profits are desperate for help and they will plug you into good solid opportunities that will look great on your application. I hope this helps! Good luck with it!

Haha - Yes, you will have to get a few years of experience before becoming a CEO! I would suggest that you look for administrative fellowships or assistant administrator types of roles. Either one of these would be perfect for you to get your career moving forward post MHA.

Hello. The dual degree is not necessary. However, if you are interested in it then it certainly cannot hurt. The MHA and MBA will be quite similar depending on electives that you take - but the MBA will be slightly more quantitative. If you have an interest in the financial route, such as becoming a CFO, then the MBA might be advantageous. If you are looking at a CEO route either degree is fine. But again you can certainly do both but it is not required.

Hi Ana, great question. There are a lot of different perspectives on this, so you will get different answers, depending on who you ask. From my perspective, no it does not help you. And it is definitely not necessary for becoming a CEO. Most CEO's are not clinical. The job of being a CEO is not a clinical job at all - it is the factors I discuss in the video, "What Does a Hospital CEO Do?" I will say that when I'm hiring a CEO to work for me, it does not matter to me at all if the candidates are clinical. I want to know what their background is in strategy, growth, finance, quality oversight, medical staff relations, community relations, etc. I want to know if they are leaders...Hope this helps!

I assume you are wanting to be a CEO in the United States, correct? The Australian and U.S. health care systems are completely different. So, if you want to be a CEO in the US, then you will need to obtain the experience I discuss in the videos in the U.S. health care system.

Congratulations on having the MPA. Honestly, just follow the tips in the video. The experience you now obtain is the most important factor. I would certainly join the American College of Healthcare Executives of the Medical Group Management Association and progress toward obtaining your fellowship (FACHE or FMGMA respectively). Those credentials can certainly be valuable. Hope this helps!

I do not know the UAE requirements. But in the U.S. you can get into the Medical Staff function of hospital administration fairly quickly, depending on your medical background. This could be a position in quality review or peer review for example. Or you can pursue a MHA or MBA and follow the more traditional route.

@@dr.jeffcomer5185 I truly appreciate your reply Sir. I am very grateful. Thanks so much Doc!

Hi Erin, great hearing from you as always! I'm glad you liked the video. Yes, the MBA can be good for reasons such as what you said or if you want to go the CFO route for example. Since you want to be a hospital CEO then either would be fine, but I think you made a great choice with the MHA! Your question is a tough one via a brief response. It depends on many factors - such as how big of a hospital it is, is the hospital stand alone or part of a system, is the hospital acute care of another license type, etc. It's also dependent on the work experience you've had (hence why that first job is so important!), the mentoring you've had, your network, your willingness to relocate, etc. I would say if you meet the requirements I discussed in How to Become a Hospital CEO then you can plan on 10 years before your first CEO job. HOWEVER, again, this is highly variable. It certainly can (and does) happen sooner or longer. I became a CEO just a few years after grad school. But I always tell people do not be in a hurry. Really learn what it means to be a CEO and get good mentoring along the way. And at 23 you have many years to be a CEO! Hope this helps. Again, it's tough to answer this briefly....There are just so many variables. But a planned career progression and taking the steps I discussed in the other video can definitely help.

@@dr.jeffcomer5185 thank you for the advice - that was helpful. I think we try to rush our lives too much, and I definitely am guilty of this. I want to learn as much as I can and am trying to find a good internship to get into. Still not sure I want to be a CEO of a hospital, but I’m keeping my options open to anything. 😊 thanks again for responding!

Well, I'm cheering for you to be a CEO! But no matter what keep me posted and always let me know how I can help out!

So, let me start be saying congratulations on pursuing this career! I am not terribly familiar with the Australian health system, so I can't provide too much guidance for you. However, no matter what nation you are in networking can never hurt. By networking you can learn what is available and meet potential mentors who you can work for. Use LinkedIn as it is such as easy tool to connect with people. I suggest you directly reach out to CEO's at hospitals in which you have an interest. You will be surprised how many of us enjoy helping the next generation of CEO's. I also suggest that you go to local, regional, and national conferences if possible. They are great places to network. I hope this helps. Keep in touch with how the job search is going!

The important thing to consider is the alumni network. So, if you want to become a hospital CEO then make sure there is a strong network of graduates from the school who have gone on to become CEO's. School name certainly helps - particularly early in your career. However, later in your career it is more based on what you have accomplished and achieved.

Hello Indhu. Of course you can do the MHA or MBA after dentistry! In fact, I have a colleague who was a dentist then got his master's and eventually became a hospital CEO! It's not a traditional route, but certainly works!

@@dr.jeffcomer5185 thank you sir ! Sir, some are saying that it is worth if you have done mbbs rather than dentistry. Is it sir?

@@indhureddy8027 MBBS or dentistry is not important..it doesnt matter...

It depends on what your career goals are. If you want to be a Hospital CEO I definitely prefer the MHA over the MPH. You can see the salaries for hospital CEO's on my video about hospital CEO salaries. The MPH is an excellent degree, but it is not designed to teach the skills required for a hospital CEO like the MHA. But of course if you want to be in the public health field then it is the appropriate degree.

@@dr.jeffcomer5185 which is better as per your point of view with more job openings?

As I mentioned in the video, you really can't go wrong with either! Neither is better or worse. Follow my tips in the video and you will be fine! Best wishes to you.