TAKE IT FROM ME …

Get an MBA—Just Not Yet

By Robert J. Noecker, MD, MBA

I'd been in practice about 4 years when I decided to pursue my MBA full time at the University of Arizona. The program was compressed, running only on Fridays and Saturdays, which suited me because I was working full time. The better MBA programs don't take people right out of school. Individuals without some real world experience simply don't have the knowledge to draw upon, which I believe is essential in order to get the most out of an MBA program. With experience in the workforce, you bring more to class discussions.

My main motivation for getting an MBA was to become more comfortable with administrative issues such as reading spreadsheets, balance sheets and financial documents. I found, at times, I was at a disadvantage when administrators or insurers started using financial jargon because, as a doctor, I wasn't well versed in this language. I also felt I was at a disadvantage during negotiations.

When I began taking classes, I discovered the nonfinancial courses, those involving human relations, were more valuable. In health care, we deal with people all of the time. But as doctors, we aren't always given the tools to communicate well with our patients. If you're smart but unable to engage your patients, it's all for naught.

In my MBA classes, I reviewed case studies from companies outside the industry, such as McDonalds, to see how they hired their employees. I learned that it's important to hire people who are team players and are willing to learn new skills.

My class was a mix of engineers, non-profit workers and sales managers—all very different disciplines. Working on projects with a diverse group of people, helped me learn how the rest of the world thinks. Most projects were group based, so I had to work with the people assigned to my group. We had to pool our strengths to be the best we could be.

I learned what it takes to be a good manager and I employ those skills with my staff and peers. In class, as in a practice, you have a set of committed individuals and you need to make the best hand with the cards you're dealt.

While it's recognized that interpersonal skills are important in health care, traditionally, it was frowned upon to talk about the business side of ophthalmology. Now, with profit margins becoming ever narrower, it's essential to become more efficient and provide the most effective treatment recommendations.

Today, I approach tasks differently. It's true that some of my decisions may be financially based—after all, it's critical to evaluate your return on investment on a piece of equipment or an individual, but it's the theories that I apply to everyday practice that make the biggest difference.

On a daily basis, on an operational level, I apply things like queuing theory. How do you move patients through the system more efficiently? I use what I learned about banks and fast-food chains from my classes. I take the short transactions first (my post-op patients). I take complex cases later in the day so fewer people get agitated if they have to wait longer. I've also become more sophisticated in my marketing strategies. I find some doctors underestimate the science of advertising and may miss their true target audience.

Choose the right time in your life to go back for your MBA—and the right time is not when you have a young family. Also, don't forget the financial demands of going back to school. Weekend MBA or executive MBA programs are a good start. Real-world experience is definitely helpful. You're able to apply what you've learned in practice to your classroom experience, so it's not just theoretical. So get your MBA, but get some life experience first. nMD

Dr. Noecker is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, vice chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, and Director of the Glaucoma Service of UPMC Eye Center. He completed his residency at the Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, NC, and his Glaucoma Fellowship at the New England Eye Center, Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston. His research interests include imaging of the eye and ocular pharmacology. He can be reached at Rjn8@pitt.edu.