When I first considered going to grad school, I was already 14 years into my healthcare career. I had begun as a bedside nurse, working in both inpatient and outpatient settings. While I enjoyed many aspects of providing direct patient care, I couldn’t ignore the broken systems and inefficient workflows that made life harder for both staff and patients.
Those experiences gradually pulled me toward quality improvement work, and I eventually landed a position as a Quality Improvement Coordinator. The more time I spent examining processes, the more I realized how much happens behind the scenes to keep healthcare running — and how much potential there is to improve the system.
My nursing roles had rarely included administrative work, so this felt like a brand-new side of healthcare. Instead of passing medications and performing patient assessments, I was sitting in meetings, reviewing performance metrics, and planning improvement projects. This role is what first sparked my interest in pursuing a master’s degree.
It became clear that an administrative degree would help me grow in the work I was already doing and give me more confidence as a leader. The question was: should I pursue an MHA or an MBA?
In the end, an MHA aligned more closely with my interests and career goals. Here are the considerations that shaped my decision.
Healthcare-Specific Skills vs. General Business Theory
Although I had no desire to leave healthcare, I still wanted to keep my options open. An MBA offered broader flexibility and strong business fundamentals. But an MHA provided that same foundation through a healthcare lens — covering finance, operations, policy, and leadership in ways directly tied to health systems and facilities.
The difference for me was relevance. The concepts wouldn’t just be theoretical; they would apply directly to the work I was already doing. I wanted coursework that reflected the realities of hospitals and clinics, not generic business scenarios. That practicality made the MHA feel like a better fit for both my interests and my goals.
Making a Difference (in a Different Way)
As a bedside nurse, you see everything firsthand:
- The delays
- The extra clicks when charting
- The redundant forms
- The processes that waste time
It can be frustrating. You understand the problems, but you don’t always have the authority to change them.
That frustration is what first drew me to quality improvement. When I stepped into a coordinator role, I finally had the opportunity to redesign processes instead of simply working around them.
An MHA felt like the natural next step. I wanted:
- Stronger leadership skills
- A better understanding of data and analytics
- A clearer view of how decisions are made at a system level
I wanted to help lead change and make a broader impact on patient care. Not just for one patient at a time, but across entire teams and populations.
Applying What I Learned from Day One
Since I already had many years of healthcare experience, the MHA was especially appealing. Not only was I learning what happens behind the scenes in operations and management, but I could apply those lessons in real time.
That immediate connection helped me build leadership and project management skills much faster than I would have otherwise. The coursework felt practical and useful, like adding tools to my toolbox instead of starting from scratch. I often found myself using concepts from class in meetings that same week, which made the learning stick.
The capstone project was particularly valuable. I tied it directly to a diagnosis documentation improvement initiative I was working on and incorporated concepts from each course along the way. By the end, it was more than just an academic assignment. It was meaningful work that benefited my organization.
More Career Paths Than You’d Expect
One thing people don’t always realize about an MHA is how broad the field really is. It goes far beyond hospital management. There are opportunities in:
- Quality and patient safety
- Informatics and data analytics
- Finance and operations
- Strategy and system leadership
Rather than locking me into one path, my MHA actually opened doors. Over time, I’ve expanded into more data and information systems work, which wasn’t something I initially expected. The degree gave me a strong foundation while still allowing my interests to evolve and explore new areas within healthcare.
Should You Pursue an MHA or an MBA?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer and it really depends on your goals.
- Choose an MHA if you’re committed to healthcare and see yourself leading within hospitals, clinics, or health systems.
- Choose an MBA if you’d rather keep your options open across different industries.
Neither choice is wrong. It really comes down to what you want your day-to-day work and long-term career to look like.
Would I Make the Same Choice Today?
It’s been several years since completing my MHA, and I have no regrets.
Healthcare is complex and can be chaotic. Deadlines are tight, change can be slow, and navigating large organizations can feel like trying to solve a puzzle with constantly shifting pieces. But I genuinely enjoy what I do.
Working alongside frontline teams to improve processes and patient outcomes is incredibly fulfilling. My MHA gave me the tools and confidence to move beyond simply noticing problems — and instead take meaningful steps to fix them. Looking back, it has truly been the right choice for my career and my goals.
