ACPE Graduate Degree Programs: MBA and MMM

I'm in Washington D.C. attending the 2010 ACPE (American College of Physician Executives) Annual CME Conference. Here, you can learn about graduate degrees (master of business administration or MBA and master of medical management or MMM) offered through the following partner universities:

• University of Massachusetts Amherst Isenberg School of Management (MBA)
• Carnegie Mellon Heinz College, School of Public Policy & Management (MMM)
• University of Southern California Marshall School of Business (MMM)

Interested in pursuing yet another graduate degree? Here are some reasons why you want to consider a graduate degree:
    * Enhance your credibility in the business side of medicine
    * Broaden your perspective and learn new approaches
    * Realize the power of both leading and following - medicine as a team sport
    * Stay competitive - most management jobs now require a graduate business degree

If you're serious about making a career transition that involves more management responsibilities, then you may want to consider a graduate degree that focuses on administration or medical management. I've spoken with many physician executives who've told me why they chose to pursue an MBA vs. an MMM. I'd encourage you to do the same.

Here are some snippets from the FAQs section of the ACPE website:

ACPE graduate degrees are the flexible answer for working physicians who want a medical management degree designed for health care leadership. Earn your degree at your own pace and in the format (live and/or distance learning) you prefer. ACPE graduate programs offer the Master of Medical Management and the online MBA in Medical Management.

ACPE offers the only graduate program that enables you to choose from among four of America's top universities. Since 1993, nearly 2000 physicians have chosen ACPE graduate programs to build the valuable leadership skills they needed to advance their health care leadership careers.

Here's another common FAQ: "What kind of management position can I expect to receive once I complete my graduate degree in management?"

First of all, if you do get a master's degree, keep in mind that it will definitely help you do a management job, but it will not be an automatic guarantee that you will get a management job. When you finished your MD, you could go somewhere and immediately be a doctor. The same is not true for the master's degree programs in management. You will still need experience and contacts.

With that said, perhaps the best way to answer this question is to refer to the specific jobs our current MMM and MBA graduates are working in today. Here are the top five categories of positions held by our 500 ACPE graduates:

• Medical Director
• Department Chief or Department Chair
• Department or Program Director
• President
• Vice President, Medical Affairs

Click here to learn more about these ACPE graduate degree programs. By the way, for those of you wondering: MBA vs. MMM, click here to read more about the similarities and differences between an MBA vs. MMM.

Click here for highlights from ACPE 2010.

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