I am hooded...again! MHA, MBA, or do I need both?

I am closing out 2020 by finishing my MBA! It's been a long time coming, but I am so excited to have finished. I often receive questions about why I pursued an MBA, in addition to an MHSA (Master of Health Services Administration). If you'd like to jump straight to the closing points, scroll down to the summary. Nonetheless, there are three key reasons why it was the right choice for me. 

1. Assists Learning & Development
2. Fosters Secondary Career Opportunities
3. Fuels My Own Personal Achievement 

Assists Learning & Development

I went to graduate school immediately after undergrad. At the time, I had little (healthcare) work experience, while most of my class had full-time work experience upon entering our program, approximately 66%. The same month I started graduate school, I also started working at Detroit Medical Center as a Data Analyst. -- Side Note: thank you, Bryan Roach and Jacqlyn Smith! As we well know, it's hard to get work experience without work experience. You all gave me a chance when you didn't have to. -- It was vital for me to apply what I was learning in the classroom to the real world. 

Developing a general understanding of business acumen is essential for me. Having an MBA helps me apply theoretical business concepts to complex healthcare problems in a way that might be different from the typical MHA/MPH-trained leader. Given that my MBA class was primarily made up of those from the automotive industry, my thought process was often challenged and ultimately became more diverse. With the help of all of my life and school experiences, I leverage being able to think and process from different avenues. 

Fosters Secondary Career Opportunities

An MBA helps develop a strong knowledge base for various opportunities in other industries, not just healthcare. I have a desire to pursue a number of initiatives and ideas down the road, in addition to my work in healthcare. An MBA has helped ensure that I have the tools necessary to be successful in these ventures. Some of which have started already, supporting my non-profit, OWDOT, and building my brand. 

Fuels My Own Personal Achievement 

I've grown up with the belief that I can achieve and conquer anything I set my mind to. Huge thanks to my mother for instilling this confidence in me. With that said, society still has its limitations no matter our desires. I wanted to ensure that I am prepared for any obstacles thrown my way. Not that it is an end-all solution, but an MBA can only help by furthering my learning, growth, and development. 

What did I gain from the MBA that I didn't from the MHSA?

An MHSA/MHA essentially helps you understand the healthcare business; it applies business concepts to these industry-specific issues. An MBA provides you with the tools to apply business concepts and theories to anything, and this is the difference. 

Healthcare's complexity makes it difficult to compare it to other industries. However, its complexity shouldn't be a reason to accept the status quo. My MBA exposed me to a range of different theories and concepts, which helped me think about everything I do in my day-to-day differently. Here are a few examples. 

Cost Accounting & Billing. During my MHSA, I took healthcare accounting, which was surprisingly much different than my MBA accounting classes. Without the latter experience, I thought that our healthcare practices were standard. Little did I know. After spending about a month conducting a deep-dive into our cost accounting practices, I was overwhelmed. Why do we accept not being able to outline our costs line by line? What other industry makes it difficult for its customers (patients) to pay them? Where else in our society do we accept what we're paid/reimbursed being much less than what it costs? The deep-dive and these questions, among others, prompted me to advise our leaders of a few things we could do differently to enhance our financial understanding and performance. And more importantly, these enhancements will show a drastic improvement in our contribution margin (win-win).

Lean Six Sigma. The automotive industry has proven for decades now that these strategies help improve efficiency and reduce waste. Yet, these certifications are still underutilized in several healthcare organizations. I've come across many Continuous Improvement departments where no one has a certificate or formal training (e.g., Green Belt). How is this acceptable? We consistently solve the same problems repeatedly due to silos and have high-performing administrators who spend their day putting out fires. These tools are industry-proof, and when it came to figuring out how to double our volumes with less staff, I had these strategies to pull from immediately. 

Ethics & Leadership. My MBA courses exposed me to plenty of ethical dilemmas and unique leaders that are unicorns in their fields. These were probably the most exciting classes I took. Due to this, I have become hyper-critical of how decisions are made, communicated, and followed through. For a long time, and maybe still today, the primary healthcare ethics discussed are related to direct patient care. Focusing less on the array of non-clinical decisions that can still impact patients and several other areas. I love that my organization is leading with a zero harm and speak up culture. These are the things we should be more apt to evaluate when choosing an employer.

All in all, I force myself to think, "how would a high-performing organization address this issue?" Then I work backward from there to apply it to the healthcare/hospital setting. My MBA has helped keep me from falling into the trap of thinking that "healthcare is too complex/unique to solve."

For anyone considering adding an MBA as a second master's degree, here are my final thoughts. 

• First, map out why you want an MBA. If your reasons are solely to look better as a candidate, don't waste your time and money. 
• Know that a dual-degree MBA/MHA is not necessary to be successful in the healthcare industry. As most jobs indicate, an MHA, MPH, OR MBA alone is sufficient. 
• On the other hand, if you have a strong desire to learn continually, the MBA has helped me be more curious, ask more questions, and approach issues in a way that is outside the norm. 
• From my experience, having a second degree in any program may help (perhaps increase your earning potential) but is never listed as 'preferred.' 
• Suppose you anticipate pursuing business opportunities within and outside healthcare. An MBA can provide you with general and specialized skills and knowledge (e.g., finance, analytics, HR, IT, international business, marketing, etc.).

I hope these sentiments help anyone currently debating this decision. Also, know that this is just my opinion and what worked for me. There's honestly no wrong answer, so don't put too much pressure on yourself!