A Master's Degree in the Business of Surgery
Graduate school made me a better leader in the OR and the boardroom.
S
urgical professionals who advance from the OR to the corner
office typically learn about the business of surgery on the fly.
That happened to me as I progressed from staff surgeon to
medical director of perioperative services and division chief at my
hospital. Real-world experience taught me a lot about case costing
and running staff meetings, but here are a few ways I look at my pro-
fession differently now that I've added an MBA to my MD.
Clear communication
Business school didn't teach me how to make better PowerPoint
slides. It instilled in me the universal principles of communication:
thinking about what message you want to convey, and how to tell the
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Business Advisor
Wolfgang Stehr, MD, MBA
• BETTER BOSS Wolfgang Stehr, MD, MBA, talks with a more trusting staff at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in Oakland, Calif.
Noah
Berger