In recent times in the United States, healthcare has taken a serious turn for the grim and unpleasant. Physicians are more burnt out now than ever before. Patients are frustrated with navigating the byzantine architecture of managed care. Administrators are flourishing. In the name of quality of care and compliance, healthcare providers feel a tightening of the noose to a point where it has become unbearable. Record number of doctors are quitting their careers to pivot to other career paths that give them a modicum of self-respect and also bring the bread on the table. It used to be that physicians turned to non-clinical roles in their senior years after they had been practicing for 2-3 decades. I pivoted after a little over a decade. But surprisingly, I see a curious trend among young physicians to choose an alternate path pretty early in their careers instead of the routine garden variety practice of medicine that comprises of a 100% clinical role.
In an effort to understand this trend, I solicited a few young physicians to tell us why they chose to enroll in an MBA program within a few years of completing a rigorous residency track. I could divide them into different groups. There are those who know from the get go that they prefer an administrative role. A few realize they need an MBA to add oomph to a sparkling clinical career. Then there are those who get frustrated with healthcare in its current state and consciously decide to route to an alternate path. Here is the first of this series of articles. Dr. Sonam Chouksey is a hospitalist in Indiana. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine and was the chief resident at Cook County Hospital in Chicago.
By Dr. Sonam Chouksey
From villagers bringing in a victim of snakebite at a small rural hospital in India, to taking care of patients at the renowned Cook County Hospital in Chicago, I have amassed a vast range of experience in two different parts of the world, dealing with an incredibly diverse range of people and problems. I can safely say that my growth trajectory has been rapid, comprehensive, and unusual.
Over the past decade, I have learnt that better healthcare requires more than just good patient care. Healthcare is a fast-growing industry that needs smart people who can engage with varied teams and think differently. For my own part, I aspire not only to help individual patients as a physician but also to advance the science of medicine. Being a hospitalist, I am currently providing my services to only specific patient population. I want to extend my help to a wider population and also to other countries including my home country India. I believe an MBA is the right logical step for me that will help me in connecting the dots between where I am right now and where I want to be.
I planned to enroll in an MBA program at a very early stage in my career immediately after finishing medical school in India. No one around me was considering combining medicine and business. My peers were busy with preparing for a residency program, the holy grail in medicine. I was an outlier, with no role models, mentors, or family members who had walked this path before. After much thoughtful consideration, I decided I should wait for the right time to find a sweet spot when I could make this transition. I never knew back then, that it doesn’t necessarily mean a transition – I can actually combine them together.
Subsequently, I completed my residency in the United states but continued to search for appropriate career paths after residency that were not traditional. I was glad I waited because at that point my decision to complete an MBA would have been half hearted. Now I can say that I have done all my research to take a step forward to achieve what I have always aspired to.
There are many reasons that attract me to a business degree. I am keen to engage with aspects such as finance strategy and planning, marketing and information management, and risk management. On the one hand, I will have the benefit of my experience as a physician, while on the other hand, an MBA will give me the edge to gain acceptance from the administration as well. I hope to connect with hospital administration in roles like a chief medical officer. After gaining a few years’ experience in this role, I see myself rising to other different administrative positions.
My primary focus will be to develop a wider understanding of management. I want to push myself to reach my true potential as an effective leader and administrator, thereby allowing me to give back to community in the best way I can. In every healthcare set up that I have been a part of, the divide between the physicians and the administration has been very obvious. Each side has a superficial understanding of the other, and very often, they function at cross-purposes. A liaison between the two, who understands both sides of the coin, could be a critical asset.
I hope to bridge this gap by gaining in-depth knowledge about the theory and practice of management, organization and leadership. Paired with my medical knowledge, this will allow me the unique position of being able to look at any given situation from both sides through a more structured approach.
I think it is pretty early to say if I would like to be a full time administrator. I would leave that answer to the future as MBA will definitely broaden my horizon and open up various career paths.
Recent Comments