Do you have an MBA? Then PM me.

[The Bat]

I'm thinking about doing MBA along with my medicine degree when I start medical school this fall. I have several questions that need to be answered. I've run into several contradictory advice so I need help sorting it all out.

PM me if you have one and feel like answering some questions.

 

[search1ng]

ur 27, about to start a med degree and want to do a MBA?! ... the med degree is going to be hard enough man.

 

[ready123]

there are joint MD/PHD programs out there so anything is possible

though the only reason I'd see to merge an MBA and an MD is if you wanna run a hospital

 

[search1ng]

You don't actually need a MBA to run a hospital either. Personally i think an MBA is a waste of money but... a guess it can have it's merits.

 

[Teflon_Mcgee]

<snip> Personally i think an MBA is a waste of money but... a guess it can have it's merits.

Why is this, Search1ng?
I'm still on the fence too and am wandering if it is worth it or should I pursue other advanced degrees.

I'd like to hear your reasons for not getting an MBA.

 

[search1ng]

Really, it's a matter of opinion and because I'm in Australia an MBA would translate to something like a graduate Masters in business administration or a bachelor of business, depends on what you're looking into. (something like that)

Now, how many people are out there doing the same thing as you, how many people are going to be rising up to that position come the next round of promotions, how many people are leaving the job. How stable and secure is it? At the end of the day, are you really going to enjoy it? If it's just for a fat paycheck you might want to reconsider. (It's not going to be that fat either unless you graduate really strong at a prestigious university/college)

It's just my personal opinion, i don't have facts or studies to back it up, all i've got to back it up are friends who have switched degrees from an 'MBA,' and others who graduated and are now playing 'WoW' when they get back from home from another day at the office and others who've decided to take their chances overseas.

Really, do something you are confident in. Money will follow you if you're good at what you do and you genuinely enjoy doing it. Don't fall into the misery of following the money cause it'll leave you with nothing. (Who cares if you earn 250K+ a year if you don't have life skills and experiences to back you up. You die poor anyway - life is about the journey and how you experienced it) however, in no way am i saying money sucks or should not be taken into consideration. I'm just saying it should not be the motivating force.

and yes, this has gone way off topic. Sorry to the OP.

 

[ready123]

You don't actually need a MBA to run a hospital either. Personally i think an MBA is a waste of money but... a guess it can have it's merits.

Technically you don't need a degree for ANYTHING except careers that require them to obtain licensing

But they help because a big chunk of career promotions, especially if you're not working for yourself, are based on your credentials and reputation. A big chunk of your credentials are derived from your education.

I work in engineering and the general career path at my company is going from a purely technical position to some form of technical manager. Your more apt to being trusted with a management position if you have some knowledge of organizational structure, how business works, negotiations skills, planning, etc. Otherwise you'll probably making stupid decisions trying to learn on the job that might hurt the company. An MBA shows you have exposure to this knowledge.

I think the bottomline is to know why you're going for an MBA. The only reason I can think of to do an MD/MBA is if your dream is to run a hospital and even then, most people wouldn't do them concurrently because those first 2 years of med school are ridiculous. But maybe the OP is exceptionally smart, who knows.