Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
Meharry Medical College • Nashville, TN
Studying MSPH Health Services Administration (completion in 1996)
• 8/11/2011
"The experience was challenging but prepared me well to be a strong supporter for a senior executive in healthcare. I am grateful to the school for the training I received and suggest many people to begin their careers via this training."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Academic medical centers, government/private partnerships, and public health divisions need administrative assistants skilled in healthcare issues/terminology. Obtaining a masters degree in public health is good training for this senior level administrative support. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | Meharry is a minority institution. The rating has more to do with external perception than the actual value gained from attending the school. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The program trains executives in healthcare administration. They suggest that we stay away from positions that would categorize us as secretaries/administrative assistants but I found this position to fit my family life. My program provided the opportunity for us to have experiences in different healthcare settings and supported us through course work in preparation to re-enter the working world after graduate school. |
| Instruction | 10 | The finance, statistics, marketing, organizational behavior and epidemiology courses prepare you for whatever facet of healthcare you choose. Being a medical administrative assistant is honorable work and helps senior level decision makers be more successful/effective in producing healthcare policy to improve all of our lives. |
| How Difficult | 8 | The program was new when I started. It had funding issues, issues with faculty, and issues with gaining space for courses. The material we covered was not altered for healthcare executives but was for professionals in each discipline, such as statistics, marketing, finance, epidemiology etc. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We are encouraged to take internships while we are doing coursework so that what we learn in class is balanced with real world experiences. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | The course flexibility is not good. This is graduate school, and small classes do not lend themselves well to the schedules you suggest. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The Kresge Library is very well equipped. The library is great and the staff is very friendly and helpful! |
| Social Life | 10 | Fraternities and sororities are active on campus in addition to the professional medical, dental and public health societies. They do many community service projects, in addition to fundraisers and dances. |
| Placement Services | 8 | Meharry has many connections and these open many doors to those who want to be highly skilled medical administrative assistants. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | The school has physicians, Ph.D.'s, and dentists. The ability to interact with someone who has a lead on a position is good. Many people are active in government and the private sector and prefer administrative assistants with advanced degrees. |
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