Bridging Medicine and Business
Dr. Mohit Jain, an attending physician at MultiCare Pulse Heart Institute, always had a desire to learn more about business. His dad worked in finance on India’s Wall Street and his mom taught accounting, so he was exposed to the business world from a young age. When Covid moved Gonzaga’s MBA online, he seized the opportunity to gain the business knowledge he had always wanted.
“I realized that there's a huge business component in medicine and I was fortunate to to be involved in leadership roles in hospital committees. One of the requirements to get to the top level was to have a business degree,” said Jain
Determined to find the right program, Jain thoroughly researched different schools, analyzed rankings and read faculty research. Gonzaga stood out at every step, but two factors ultimately made it the best choice as he balanced his full-time job with his responsibilities as a husband and father.
“Gonzaga was a perfect fit for me because it was online, but it also wasn't completely on your own, like some of the programs where you just were working at your own pace. With all my other commitments, I really needed a little bit of push, but not a whole lot of push. So that was one good thing.”
Living in Spokane, Dr. Jain also valued Gonzaga’s proximity.
“Gonzaga was right here so if I needed to go see the professors, it was easily accessible.”
Throughout the program, Jain developed a strong passion for business and loved how the knowledge from Gonzaga’s MBA program connected well to healthcare.
“Gonzaga’s strength is in accounting and then the Jesuit education is very helpful because it ties in with healthcare really well because you are looking at the same ideals.”
Reflecting on his medical school experience, Jain noted that the business side of healthcare was not covered, making his MBA coursework eye-opening.
“The biggest skill I gained was the knowledge. The second was speaking the right language. We have an enormous diversity of skill sets in the healthcare industry, so doctors are just one component. It takes a village to take care of patients. These people often work behind the scenes and manage our supply chains, run hospital operations, provide billing services to mention a few. Learning the business language , shone a light on all the things that go behind the scenes that can help take care of patients,” said Jain.
Jain also gained valuable leadership and communication skills that he believes will benefit him regardless of his future career path.
“I gained a lot of insights on how to have conversations with people. Learning the vernacular and developing negotiating skills from the leadership courses were very helpful and I think those skills, I will keep no matter what, even if I don’t continue in my leadership positions.”
Transitioning from medical school to an MBA was an adjustment, especially since the MBA required more writing rather than the exam preparation he was used to. To manage his workload while balancing his professional and personal life, Jain took one class per semester. The support of faculty played a crucial role in his success.
“The professors were very easy to talk to. They're very understanding, especially when I tell them that I’m on call or I can’t really make it. They would say ‘just join online if you need to.’ So, I was able to, to make it work,” said Jain.
After four years of dedication, Dr. Jain will walk across the commencement stage this May to receive his diploma. He moves forward with an even deeper passion for business, one he is already passing on to his children. The knowledge he gained is something he believes everyone should have.
“Some business courses should be mandatory for everyone, whatever profession you’re in. Having the knowledge of basic accounting and basic finance, is an absolute must. It was a bit late for me because I didn’t start it until well into my chosen profession, but I think it’s really important and I encourage everybody to have some knowledge on that.”
Gonzaga’s MBA is now offered online and on-campus.
“I realized that there's a huge business component in medicine and I was fortunate to to be involved in leadership roles in hospital committees. One of the requirements to get to the top level was to have a business degree,” said Jain
Determined to find the right program, Jain thoroughly researched different schools, analyzed rankings and read faculty research. Gonzaga stood out at every step, but two factors ultimately made it the best choice as he balanced his full-time job with his responsibilities as a husband and father.
“Gonzaga was a perfect fit for me because it was online, but it also wasn't completely on your own, like some of the programs where you just were working at your own pace. With all my other commitments, I really needed a little bit of push, but not a whole lot of push. So that was one good thing.”
Living in Spokane, Dr. Jain also valued Gonzaga’s proximity.
“Gonzaga was right here so if I needed to go see the professors, it was easily accessible.”
Throughout the program, Jain developed a strong passion for business and loved how the knowledge from Gonzaga’s MBA program connected well to healthcare.
“Gonzaga’s strength is in accounting and then the Jesuit education is very helpful because it ties in with healthcare really well because you are looking at the same ideals.”
Reflecting on his medical school experience, Jain noted that the business side of healthcare was not covered, making his MBA coursework eye-opening.
“The biggest skill I gained was the knowledge. The second was speaking the right language. We have an enormous diversity of skill sets in the healthcare industry, so doctors are just one component. It takes a village to take care of patients. These people often work behind the scenes and manage our supply chains, run hospital operations, provide billing services to mention a few. Learning the business language , shone a light on all the things that go behind the scenes that can help take care of patients,” said Jain.
Jain also gained valuable leadership and communication skills that he believes will benefit him regardless of his future career path.
“I gained a lot of insights on how to have conversations with people. Learning the vernacular and developing negotiating skills from the leadership courses were very helpful and I think those skills, I will keep no matter what, even if I don’t continue in my leadership positions.”
Transitioning from medical school to an MBA was an adjustment, especially since the MBA required more writing rather than the exam preparation he was used to. To manage his workload while balancing his professional and personal life, Jain took one class per semester. The support of faculty played a crucial role in his success.
“The professors were very easy to talk to. They're very understanding, especially when I tell them that I’m on call or I can’t really make it. They would say ‘just join online if you need to.’ So, I was able to, to make it work,” said Jain.
After four years of dedication, Dr. Jain will walk across the commencement stage this May to receive his diploma. He moves forward with an even deeper passion for business, one he is already passing on to his children. The knowledge he gained is something he believes everyone should have.
“Some business courses should be mandatory for everyone, whatever profession you’re in. Having the knowledge of basic accounting and basic finance, is an absolute must. It was a bit late for me because I didn’t start it until well into my chosen profession, but I think it’s really important and I encourage everybody to have some knowledge on that.”
Gonzaga’s MBA is now offered online and on-campus.