Aspiring physician broadening skills for a role in healthcare administration

When Ahmar Mehmood was in his third year of medical school in Karachi, Pakistan, interacting with patients, listening and doing his best to help treat them, he learned first-hand the importance of an effective administration supporting patient care.  He saw care delayed, and patients and their families anxiously waiting for answers oftentimes due to ineffective communication amongst the team of attending physicians.

“I believe that no matter how competent the physicians are, until the healthcare support system around them is complete and functions cohesively, optimal patient care cannot be delivered,” said Mehmood.

Healthcare services management is a growing and changing space with an increased demand for healthcare managers who can improve business and clinical outcomes.

Rutgers Business School’s Master of Science in Healthcare Services Management (MSHSM) provides students with the tools, insight and expertise to be successful operational leaders in the healthcare provider space. A multidisciplinary and innovative program, the MSHSM offers a customized, business-oriented and practice-based MBA curriculum applied to the healthcare services sector.  The program is designed to hone leadership and develop a data-driven process orientation, helping provider managers improve quality, reduce costs and increase patient satisfaction.

“Working in the U.S. healthcare industry now, I understand that the absence of electronic medical records back home affected care of many critically ill patients,” said Mehmood. “Looking back, I realize how an effective healthcare system itself can save thousands of lives.”

“As an aspiring physician in the U.S., I plan to broaden my skills as a clinician for also playing a role in healthcare administration in the future” said Mehmood. “Being the spouse of a physician in training at Rutgers, I am confident that the MSHSM program will help us realize our dream of owning a practice and adding value to the healthcare system, not only here but also in my home country,” Mehmood said.

-Sean Ireland