Medical school students have had an increasing appetite for business knowledge to better prepare them for their careers. In response to that, West Virginia University has created its M.D./M.B.A.

Morgantown, West Virginia (PRWEB) February 29, 2012

The two schools have collaborated to create the M.D./M.B.A. for medical school students during an optional step out year in the medical school curriculum, which occurs at the conclusion of their second year of study.

WVU President Jim Clements said the partnership between the two schools demonstrates how collaboration can help provide students with the skills needed to meet the challenges of todays world.

Interdisciplinary collaborations like this one are important for our students, Clements said. I applaud the faculty and staff at both B&E and Medicine for partnering to create this unique academic opportunity.

Provost Michele Wheatly emphasized the ways in which the new program exemplifies WVUs strategic goals. This is an example of transforming a curriculum at the highest level, she said. This program will engage students and faculty not only across disciplines but across campuses, with exciting implications for real-world impact.

This partnership represents a collaborative effort to offer a critical component of business education to WVU medical school students, Arthur J. Ross, III, M.D., M.B.A., dean of the WVU School of Medicine, said. Todays world demands that professionals be business savvy, and the medical profession is certainly no exception to that. All students need this exposure but there are some who need the intense type of exposure that can only be provided by an M.B.A. program. Those students who envision themselves in positions of significant, high level administrative leadership anywhere in the medical arena would be examples of ideal candidates for this program.

With increasing pressures due to changes in the medical industry, physicians will have to better understand the revenue streams and cost implications of their practices or organizations. An M.B.A. will increase their understanding of the business side of medical practices, and thats a huge plus, said Dr. Ross, who holds an M.B.A. in addition to his medical degree.

Wheatly agreed. Were giving our students the tools to be truly innovative practitioners of medicine, she said. These are the doctors who will become leaders in their chosen fields.

Prospective students would apply to the WVU School of Medicine and to the M.B.A. program at the same time, said Dr. Jose Sartarelli, Milan Puskar Dean, WVU College of Business and Economics. They would be admitted to both programs, which would allow them to step out to complete the M.B.A. after their second year. After they take a year to obtain the M.B.A., then they will resume their medical school curriculum.

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WVU Business and Medical Schools Create New Program to Give Medical School Students Critical Business Knowledge