When he was ready to assume a healthcare leadership role, Wael Azer, DO, MBA’18, didn’t think he needed another degree. The emergency medicine physician already possessed an MD, a DO and an RN—the latter two he earned from scratch after his medical degree from Egypt didn’t allow him to practice in the United States.
No, Dr. Azer didn’t need another degree. But what he sought was more credibility as a leader. He felt he could gain this by earning an MBA.
“I’d moved to Georgia after 14 years in New Jersey, and I accepted a position that would give me opportunity for leadership,” he said. “The system was playing catchup in a lot of areas of business, but they had experienced leadership. I wanted to earn an MBA to provide credentials to the new ideas I presented to them.”
Dr. Azer heard about the Business of Medicine Physician MBA Program at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Even though the school was located three states away, Dr. Azer was attracted to the Kelley reputation and the combination of online learning and monthly weekend residency sessions in Indianapolis. He felt there was far more to learn about business than he’d picked up throughout his medical training.
“As physicians, we don’t learn anything about the business of medicine in medical school. If you follow the news and what’s happening in the medical field, you realize that, without business knowledge, you cannot get by,” he said. “I think previous generations learned the business aspects of healthcare by trial and error, but I thought it would be more beneficial to acquire it through formal education. Each doctor—from small offices to large surgeon groups—needs business information and skill base.”