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intercalated MBA or later in working life?

I believe doctors should lead and manage the NHS and in the US they already offer joint degrees as MD/MBA. I looked through the intercalated website and found there is no such thing as a healthcare MBA in the UK.
There are some management/leadership/healthcare economics Master but they wouldnt compare to the international image of a (healthcare) MBA which is important to me because I'm quite open about where I want to end up.

I could finish medical school and then do a normal part time (healthcare) MBA. However, with what I have heard from basically everyone up to consultancy and beyond, there is barely time to study part time. I dont think it would positively influence my clinical training either and taking a break from clinical training is probably worse than in medical school

What do you think is the best thing to do?

Reply 1

345rty

Look at the fees for an MBA, the chances are they alone will answer the question of taking two years out for one in the middle of medical school.

I've known a lot of people study part time, admittedly in fields which overlap with royal college exams. If you are suitably interested I don't see any reason why you couldn't do it.

Reply 2

ukmed108

I don't think an MBA is worth it. The degree is expensive, and honestly is mostly for the networking. I really don't see the point in taking time out of your clinical career to do an MBA. The things you learn can likely be learned from on the job experience.

Reply 3

hslakaal

Correct me if I'm wrong but don't most respected MBA courses require you to have work experience before you can even apply?

Also, why not do an MPH or MSc in Public Health?

Reply 4

ukmed108

Original post by hslakaal

Correct me if I'm wrong but don't most respected MBA courses require you to have work experience before you can even apply?

Also, why not do an MPH or MSc in Public Health?

I think OP wants to be a healthcare manager, i don't think MPH/MSc will help.

Reply 5

hslakaal

Original post by ukmed108

I think OP wants to be a healthcare manager, i don't think MPH/MSc will help.

It's the best option outside of those "Buisness management for medicine" Intercalate BScs/Mscs which the OP doesn't want to do. Perhaps something like health policy planning and financing at lshtm kinda thing is for him.

Afaik, no decent MBA is designed for fresh graduates without work experience. To be completely honest, I can't see how an MBA would even make that much of difference, considering most current directors for NHS England are elected due to their experience in the corporate world, and even the science background ones have non-MBA degrees.

Reply 6

asif007

AFAIK the closest thing to a business degree for intercalating medical students that is offered in the UK is the BSc Management course at Imperial. To be honest I think it's high time the UK started taking cues from the USA where some universities currently offer the option for students to gain a medical degree and an MBA (or business management equivalent) simultaneously during their time at medical school. I've recently become interested in going into a business-oriented career long-term as an alternative to the grind of Medicine, and for those with similar thoughts about their career plans I think it would be extremely beneficial to introduce business degrees for medical students (whether they are applied to healthcare only or general management), especially at the universities where intercalation is a compulsory part of the medical course (e.g. UCL, Cambridge).

I've currently got an offer to intercalate in Healthcare Management at King's College London and (provided I pass my 3rd year exams), I'll be starting there in September. Apparently this course is modelled on what is taught at Imperial, so the concept of business degrees isn't completely unknown in the UK but I agree that it would be so much more beneficial for both the NHS and private sector if UK medical schools offered a similar MBA scheme to those in the USA. Like any other intercalated degree it would dramatically broaden one's career options and set you up for the future regardless of whether or not you choose to stay in Medicine. I've toyed with the idea of doing an MBA (as other medical graduates probably have done in the past) and seeing as there is already a well-established system of intercalating in Masters degrees at my university (Masters of Research and Masters of Cardiovascular Medicine are some options currently available) then I don't see why the MBA can't be offered at some point in the future as well. :smile:

Reply 7

Asclepius1

Original post by Knugs

I agree with you strongly that doctors should lead and manage the NHS

You might already be aware, but lots of great info can be found on the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management website, especially have a look at the National Medical Director's Clinical Fellow Scheme

I think it is crucial that more doctors take on and get involved in management and medico-politics in order to protect the values, ethics and professionalism of medicine, the safety of patients and to maintain the NHS as a publicly-delivered free-at-the point of use system.

Reply 8

a05aafzul

Hi guys, came across this post by accident and felt compelled to login after 3 years to post a response.
I have completed three years of medicine at Leeds and am currently intercalating in an MBA at Huddersfield. I can say that it is certainly worth it, and the skills gained are transferable to almost any leadership position within the healthcare sector. To my knowledge, I am the first in the UK to intercalate in this degree, but it did not come easy. I sent 92 emails to 16 different universities, and was only granted one interview (for which I received an offer, thankfully!) I know people with similar interests to mine who have explored MPH degrees, and I can only see this working in their favour. The requirement for anything of this nature is to leverage your existing activities and explain how they have helped your understanding of industry and management. We are almost bottle-necked in to GP-land or secondary care, but research proves that when doctors are appropriately skilled for leadership positions, Trusts tend to perform better - so do not be scared to jump into this line. The advantages of me undertaking this degree as an intercalation were primarily; funding. If I had done this after graduating, I would have had to fork out silly money from my own pocket. Secondarily, intercalation in any masters reflects well for Foundation interviews. Finally, it gave me a much needed break away from clinical medicine for one year (which I really felt that I needed, in order to explore other interests).
You are certainly restricted in the ability to only apply for 1 year FT MBA's (which are really intense, but do-able if you're a medic), but I am only 3 months in, and could not be happier with the decision I made. Any questions, don't hesitate x

Reply 9

PoolR

What are your actual career plans?

Reply 10

TGDOM

HeyI would love to ask a few questions that's ok. I am thinking of intercalating with a MBA as well Best wishes

Reply 11

mef7889

Hi, I am also of thinking of applying for intercalation in an external university from my home university, and I am thinking of either doing a MPH or MSc in Business Mx. Anyone have any ideas for which universities are allowing intercalation and an integrated MBA? Thank you in advance!