[Guest Post] Why Would A PA Choose To Get An MBA?

Guest contributor Justine Roberts, PA-C explains why she chose to pursue a business degree and how it has shaped and enhanced her skills in the field she loves: medicine. 

“I saw your ‘sheepskins’ out there in the waiting room…. What in the world possessed you to go for a Masters in Business Administration?” I get this question at least once weekly, typically while I’m standing over the person, wielding a scalpel (what great timing!).

Why did I choose to get my MBA? These days, the line between business and medicine has become a little thinner than it once was, a little blurry. Perhaps that was my initial reasoning. Much like that of entering the world of medicine, wanting to understand how the parts of a whole work and why, and how to fix what’s broken- it all starts with curiosity.

Most of what I’ve learned while obtaining my Master of Business Administration degree was just waiting out in limbo for me. There are all of these principles I never thought about, but that we all see hundreds, if not thousands of times in everyday life. I got much more than I had bargained for. In addition to becoming quite proficient with a fancy calculator, working for my MBA forced me to realize the opportunity in everyday problems, and the true promise in each solution.

It challenged my entrepreneurial spirit, and I now feel capable of pursuing so many extensions of the career I’ve established in medicine.

The business acumen and competencies I have gained have allowed me to feel much more confident with regard to decision making and risk taking.

My mentors and some other outstanding professionals I have met through networking have awakened a corner of my soul I never knew existed.

I feel quite blessed to have had the confidence to take a leap out of my comfort zone and cannonball into the world of business. I challenge you find something really unique that inspires you and dive gracefully into any opportunity that comes with it. – J