UT is introducing a one-year Executive MBA in Healthcare Leadership program for health care professionals. The inaugural class will begin in January 2015.
Led by student requests, the program is a fusion of the College of Business Administration’s Physician Executive MBA program and its nondegree executive development programming. The Physician Executive MBA program has been ranked the No. 1 preferred MBA program exclusively for physicians by Modern Healthcare/Modern Physician magazine for more than ten years, and the non-degree executive development programming has improved patient outcomes and organizational efficiencies within health care enterprises worldwide.
Unlike the physicians-only Physician Executive MBA program, the Executive MBA in Healthcare Leadership is for professionals in all health care arenas, including nurses, pharmacists, dentists, physical therapists, physician assistants, and those involved in research and development, among others.
Kate Atchley, executive director of executive-level MBAs, said the program connects business acumen and transformational leadership with the issues and challenges facing today’s health care industry, giving health care professionals the tools and knowledge they need to make an impact on the health care industry.
“We want passionate professionals to learn the business of health care, and to introduce them to the Washington, DC, policy makers so that they can revolutionize the industry,” Atchley said. “The curriculum focuses on elements essential to lead in the health care environment, specifically leadership, strategic thinking and planning, customer focus, measurement, analysis and knowledge management, workforce environment, change management, operations, and results.”
The curriculum combines periodic distance learning sessions with four residency periods: three one-week sessions at UT and a one-week health care policy immersion trip in Washington, D.C. The immersion trip serves as the program’s cornerstone, and students will meet with government insiders, legislators, and officials involved in health care.
Students will also complete an organizational action project, which integrates classwork with issues at their current organization. Bruce Behn, associate dean of graduate and executive education, believes the organizational action project is not only a great hands-on experience but also offers students a return on their investment.
“In a time when health care is facing unprecedented pressures, the organizational action project can improve outcomes for each student’s organization and clients,” Behn said. “The organizational action project is a requirement in all of our executive-level MBAs. We’ve seen incredible organizational improvements and growth, including new service lines, increased patient flow, and new compensation structures that support organizational goals.”
The program also develops each student’s leadership skills through course content and a 360-degree analysis of personal leadership strengths and opportunities.
For more information about the Executive MBA in Healthcare Leadership, visit the program’s website.
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C O N T A C T :
Cindy Raines (865-974-4359, craines1@utk.edu)