MBA for medical professionals

Many hospitals and pharmaceutical firms are setting up professionally managed centres for providing multi-specialty health care services. Such centers need managers who have professional skills, both in general management and health care delivery systems. A sense of responsibility, team spirit, dedication, decision making capacity, communication and negotiating skills are required for these professions.

Management programmes like MBA hospital and health care management or Master’s degree in hospital or health administration will be ideal for medical graduates.

These programmes combine training in management skills, management principles, accounting and business communication along with specialised knowledge of the working of a hospital, marketing of hospital services and logistics management.

The courses also offer basic knowledge of health care, nutrition, prevention of communicable diseases, community health as well as other medical and personnel related aspects.

While choosing an MBA course in the distance mode, the candidates should look for reputed universities and business schools.

The approval of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the Distance Education Council (DEC) is mandatory for employment in government services.

Courses

Regular MBA programmes in hospital and health care management and in related disciplines like hospital administration are being conducted by some universities and institutes. But distance education facilities in these disciplines are very rare.

The Directorate of Online and Distance Education of Anna University, Coimbatore, offers an MBA (2 year, 4 semesters) programme in health care and hospital management, through the online and distance education mode. The university also offers a one-year postgraduate (PG) diploma in hospital management. Graduates in any discipline are eligible for admission to both the courses.

More details can be obtained either from the web site www.annauniv.ac.in or from the Directorate of Online and Distance Education, Anna University Coimbatore, GCT Campus, Coimbatore - 641 013 (phone: 0422- 2455353, email: dode@annauniv.ac.in).

The Centre for Distance Education of Anna University, Chennai ( www.annauniv.edu/cde), also offers two-year (four semesters) MBA programmes in health services management in the distance education mode. Any graduate in the 10+2+ 3 pattern is eligible for admission.

Selection is through an entrance test conducted by the university. The curriculum and syllabus will be on a par with that of the regular programme.

Specially created course materials in self-instructional mode, CDs of lectures by experts with the required open source software, emphasis on course study and hands-on projects to improve communication skills through online tracking, widespread location of study centres with modern facilities are some of the specialties of the programme.

More details can be obtained from the web site www.annauniv.edu/cde. Prominent institutions
Here is a list of the leading universities offering MBA programmes in the distance education mode. The syllabus will be similar to that of the regular MBA course. (These options are being mentioned in case medical graduates like to consider other subjects for study as well.)

• The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) offers MBA through its country wide network of study centres.

Eligibility for admission is a bachelor’s degree in any discipline plus three years’ supervisory, managerial or professional experience; a degree in engineering, technology, medicine, architecture, law and so on; professional qualification in chartered accountancy, cost and work accountancy, company secretaryship and so on; or Master’s degree in any subject.

• The Directorate of Distance Education, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar- 608 002, conducts MBA in e-business, international business, human resource management, financial management, marketing management and so on in the distance education mode. Duration of the courses is two years. Eligibility: Degree.

Selection is based on an entrance test. The university has study centres across the country.
The university also offers MBA in hospital management and Master of Health Science in physiotherapy; public health; applied nutrition; applied ergonomics; medico-legal practice; preventive cardiology; occupational therapy; wellness health science; adolescent health and education; and reproductive and sexual medicine.

The courses are of two years’ duration. All these programmes are approved by the Distance Education Council. For more details, visit www.annamalaiuniversity.ac.in (Phone: 04144-238610, 238047)

• The Institute of Distance Education of Kerala University, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram - 695 581, offers MBA (three years), Master of Hospital Administration (three years) and PG diploma in health and hospital administration (one year) for meritorious graduates in any discipline. For more details, visit the web site www.keralauniversity.edu (phone: 0471–2417389, 2418019).

• The Directorate of Distance Education of Alagappa University, Karaikudi - 630 003, offers MBA in hospital management; international business; investment management; banking and finance; corporate secretaryship; project management; tourism; education management; and human resource management.

• The Directorate of Distance Education of Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai - 625 021, conducts MBA programmes in finance; marketing; human resource management; system management; production management; and retail management. • The Institute of Distance Education, University of Madras, Chepauk, Chennai - 600 005 offers two-year MBA programme for graduates.

• ICFAI University (private) offers MBA as flexible learning programme for graduates. For more details, visit www.icfai.org or www.iutripura.edu.in

• The Directorate of Distance and Continuing Education, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli - 627 012 (0462 – 2321620, 2321614), offers MBA and PG diploma in hospital management for graduates.

PG diploma

Symbiosis Centre of Healthcare, Pune, conducts a one-year autonomous PG diploma programme in hospital and health care management through the distance education mode for graduates in any discipline ( www.schcpune.org).

IGNOU, New Delhi - 110 068, conducts a PG diploma course in hospital and health care management for graduates. ( www.ignou.ac.in). The School of Distance Education, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore - 641 046, conducts PG diploma in hospital and health care management course for graduates. ( www.b-u.ac.in)