Why Doctors Aren’t Enough
I have the amazing fortune of being a student at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, pursuing a Masters in Health Administration. You may not know what my degree actually means, but I promise you that in 10 years, you will. My program, amongst so many others, is proving everyday why doctors are no longer enough.
I entered the University of Washington as an undergraduate dead set on becoming a doctor. I had a deep love for biology and the human body (which I still do today), and really thought that practicing medicine would be the most stimulating (and frankly, appropriate) way for me to do what I loved. I didn’t think twice about the innumerable opportunities to make a difference in healthcare because in all honesty, I didn’t know otherwise. As students from privileged communities, we are taught to reach for the stars- pursue the careers with the most academic credibility, those that provide you a comfortable lifestyle… most frequently, careers that are already established.
Yet as it turns out, the movers and shakers of the world are increasingly interdisciplinary, entrepreneurial, and are creating their own paths. This is just the beginning of entrepreneurship in healthcare.
Many of my fellow MHA students are interested in pursuing hospital management or health consulting, but also healthcare-related startups, biotech and pharma, social impact ventures… the list goes on and on. We tackle the systems that run healthcare in this country- everything from improving affordable access to healthcare coverage to shortening wait times in clinics, devising new pricing models for medicines to integrating cutting edge technology in hospital operations. My peers are interested in policy, management, population health, operations, medicine and patient care, strategy, research, technology, finance and more, all in relation to healthcare. We have speakers who specify imagination to be a key, employable skill. We need doctors, but they just aren’t enough; there is so much more work to be done.
Don’t get me wrong- if your heart is set on practicing medicine, go for it! We need you. Healthcare practitioners on all levels are at the heart of patient care, and are some of the most noble career people that I know. In fact, many physicians that choose to pursue health management later are greatly informed by their medical expertise. But realize that this is not the only way to prove yourself in this millennial world of healthcare. The problems our health systems are facing today are immensely complex and require some grit, ingenuity, and a little imagination. Stay open-minded and inquisitive to the possibilities that don’t even exist yet, and you will find your own unique way to make your difference.
