Healthcare Admin Degrees for PAs

[PAS2014]

Hello folks!

I am curious as to what all of your experiences are w/ healthcare administration degrees (masters, doctorates, etc) for PAs.  I am planning to start an MHA or one of the DMSc degrees available to PAs within the next few years.  Now, I know that is not to say I really HAVE to have another degree to work my way into administration roles in the future, but I believe it will make me more competitive when I am up against MBAs, MHAs, MDs and RNs w/ advanced admin degrees.  I have been looking at some of the DMSc degrees that are popping up (Rocky Mountain, Lynchburg) and am interested how they compaire for admin roles vs the tried-and-true MHA or MBA.  Do any of you have any of these degrees, and how are you utilized?  Are you finding yourself competitive when seeking out admin roles?  Any recommendations of programs?  TIA!

[BrainAndCo]

I personally haven't done one of these, but know several folks who have done the Lynchburg DMSc and it almost immediately seemed like their clout, and careers, went into overdrive.

I mean they were already high performers, but the degree of advancement was impressive nonetheless

Jordan G Roberts, PA-C
ModernMedEd

[PAS2014]

Well that's good because I like overdrive... thanks for your prompt response!  I believe there are a few similar programs to Lynchburg starting, which I think is great for our profession.

[Hope2PA]

1 hour ago, PAS2014 said:

Well that's good because I like overdrive... thanks for your prompt response!  I believe there are a few similar programs to Lynchburg starting, which I think is great for our profession.

Curious, what good programs other than; DMSc Lynchburg, Rocky Mountain and  DMS Lincoln?  I don’t even count the Doctorate PA studies ,(not that curriculum is bad, just bad choice of doctorate degree awarded), administrators likely see it as almost laughable ...sorry, just my opinion..

[PAS2014]

There is a DMSc at AT Still

[KpsPac]

 I can tell you that my daughter and several nurses just graduated with their MHA.

So not sure how competitive one would be against nurses and others with administrative background.  

[medic25]

I just completed my MBA in Healthcare Management last week, so it's too early to say what impact it might have on my future career.  It definitely has been noticed by some of our senior hospital leadership who reached out to congratulate me; I don't think it's a free pass into an administrative role, but it should help to set you apart from other candidates for a position that don't have an MBA or MHA.

 

[sas5814]

I have had a PhD in Health Administration for about 10 years. I did it back  before there were any PA related doctoral programs. I had and have no desire to be an administrator but I thought it would help me find some leadership positions (which it hasn't).

Where it did help me was when I was lobbying for PA related issues. Politicians and regulators love love love a title and degree. Nothing I talked to them about had much of anything to do with my degree but they gave me more credibility. 

[DizzyJ]

If you want to be in hospital administration, I would go the MHA or MBA route (for now).  Those degrees are the current acceptable/recognized degrees for these positions.  Hopefully, this won't be the case for long, but that's the feel I get from applying to various admin positions since getting a DHSc.  While my DHSc has a leadership/administrative focus, and even sharing many of the same courses one would take in an MHA/MBA (health admin focus), nobody knows what it is.  I was interviewing for a position and after discussing my degree course work they said "but you don't have an MBA or anything?".  I applied for a hospital administration fellowship, and while I may just suck as a person, they picked the new grad MBA for the position.  

[Cideous]

MBA all the way.  Will not exclude you from hospital admin, but will open up basically everything else.  MHA will pigeon hole you.  

[MOPA]

Thank you for all of your commentary.

It does just-so-happen that my husband is a professor at a local university that offers a 50% tuition reduction to family members, AND they have a professional, part time MBA program. So it seems like that may be a winner, given all of your experiences and advice.

It's too bad we weren't married when I was in PA school at that same university... it would have cost me A LOT less!

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[MOPA]

...and it appears I have two accounts? My phone is MOPA and my computer is PAS2014. So, I'm gonna need to look into that.

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[medic25]

Thank you for all of your commentary.

It does just-so-happen that my husband is a professor at a local university that offers a 50% tuition reduction to family members, AND they have a professional, part time MBA program. So it seems like that may be a winner, given all of your experiences and advice.

Sounds like a winner! Unless you are going to a top-tier MBA there isn’t much point in spending a ton. With my hospital tuition reimbursement I was able to have the cost of my whole program covered; can’t beat that for ROI!


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[EMEDPA]

16 hours ago, medic25 said:

 With my hospital tuition reimbursement I was able to have the cost of my whole program covered; can’t beat that for ROI!
 

I got the same deal 20 years ago when I did the masters from Nebraska. It was so cheap then($1800) that I was able to pay it out of my cme.

[JCS525]

You're better off getting a CPA unless you go to a top tier MBA program. 

I worked in health care admin for 6 years (vet med) then went for a masters in accounting and obtained my CPA.  I worked for one of the big 4 firms.  You can work in their health industries market team as a consultant or in assurance.  I worked in assurance and audited global pharmaceutical companies (Merck, J&J, etc.) You can also hop into their non-profit sectors and audit hospitals.  This role is a given transition into a more senior position in pharma or hospital admin.  This is because you have to learn and understand their entire operations.  Moving to industry (from a public firm) will give you more exposure to operational audits with a little less focus on the financial audits that you would be engaged on as an external auditor.  This exposure, and having the big 4 stamp on your resume, is what will set you up for comparable pay and as you'll be qualified for a management (or other more executive or senior role) at a healthcare institution.  With your clinical background you will be highly desired for certain roles (notably in pharma or in clinical management).

3-4 years out from getting my CPA, with my clinical background (scribe, vet tech, EMT, CNA), experience running and developing a start up clinic (veterinary medicine), financial experience (external audit), compliance and risk experience (auditor), and solid understanding of their operations and business as a whole (external and internal auditor), I receive offers for hospital admin roles that are paying 112 - 120k.  

However, I have opted to leave the cube days behind me and I am working towards becoming a PA.

Without having an administrative background or experience in leadership (employee relations, staffing, supervisory roles), financial experience (can you manage a budget, close books, perform financial analysis?), and having a experience in operational management or even project management, just getting a degree wouldn't make you marketable enough for a well paying admin role.  Expect a significant paycut switching to admin.