Sacramento-Healthcare-MBA

Drexel University's Center for Graduate Studies has announced the addition of an MBA in Healthcare Administration starting in September 2012.

This unique program, using expertise from the highly-ranked Drexel University College of Medicine and Drexels LeBow College of Business, is designed for working medical professionals who want to acquire additional business skills.

The complexities of health care are growing literally every day, said Dr. Sandra Kirschenmann, associate vice provost and executive director for the Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento. While medical professionals have years of training in delivering medicine, there is a growing need to equip emerging leaders in health care with the skills they need to manage these complex organizations.

The degree will be the eighth offered at Drexels Sacramento campus, which was opened in January 2009 and currently serves nearly 300 students. The centers current offerings include a traditional MBA program and an Executive Masters in Public Health.

The curriculum for the MBA in Healthcare Administration program includes economics, management, finance and marketing classes, along with special courses on business approaches to healthcare.

An MBA with a healthcare emphasis is vital to training new leaders in the healthcare industry, said Daryn Kumar, chief operating officer of Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento. It gives people who are already within the healthcare field an opportunity to learn the business side of healthcare and complement their current skill sets. This type of program will be very beneficial to middle level managers and physicians who would like to transition into executive leadership positions. Developing new leaders is

extremely vital, as many hospital executives are nearing retirement. The pace of change in healthcare is increasing exponentially each year and it will take a new type of leader to mange this pace. This program strikes a balance between the business acumen and healthcare knowledge needed to be a successful healthcare executive, as we move into a transformation period in healthcare.

Healthcare is one of the largest industries in the greater Sacramento area as organizations have increased their staffing and facilities to meet the regions growing population over the last 20 years. Sacramentos Center for Strategic Economic Research found that just four of the regions health systems had a total of more than 22,000 employees, with an annual payroll of nearly $2 billion in 2010.

Employment of medical and health services managers is expected to grow by 22 percent from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. As the large baby-boom population ages and people remain active later in life, the healthcare industry as a whole will see an increase in the demand for medical services and the managers.

With new government programs and increased technology demands, healthcare executives are facing new challenges and a need for additional skills.

Our graduates will be better-positioned to understand the forces impacting health care and prepared to manage their organizations, Kirschenmann said.

Drexels Center for Graduate Studies is known as one of Northern California's most high-tech conference and educational facilities. In its state-of-the-art classrooms, Drexel a top-ranked, national comprehensive university teaches five master's, one doctorate and one post-baccalaureate program that are designed for working professionals in the fields of entrepreneurial business, human resource development, higher education and public health.

For more information on Drexel's graduate programs in California, visit www.drexel.edu/sacramento or call 888-389-3781 or 916-325-4600.

The next Drexel Information Session will be held Saturday, April 21 from 10 a.m. until noon. For more information or to sign up online, visit www.drexel.edu/sacramento or call (888) 389-3781 or (916) 325-4600.