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Executive Masters in Health Administration (EMHA)

A thoughtful and diverse mix of health care professionals gives students the opportunity to learn from their peers’ unique backgrounds and experiences. The program facilitates student growth in the areas that will be most impactful to their organizations while advancing their individual career goals. Learn the various ways the program has taken EMHA Alumni to the next level in their careers.

Transcript

Laurie Johnson:
I realized that I had been in healthcare for over 20 years and I didn't have really the formal education in healthcare. I had the education in another field. I knew that my education needed to catch up with my experience.

Aye Lin:
When I graduated from my fellowship program, it just like you come into this big organizations and then a lot of admin stuff and things like that. Things that we never learn in the med school and also I really want to know more about the health administration perspective. That's why I started doing the EMHA at USC.
Daniel Bustamante:
Was earlier in my career and I really wanted to feel confident in a board room or meeting with a physician. I thought that the EMHA program would be a great way to help accelerate my career growth.

Laurie Johnson:
I was working at Keck Medicine and there were many people around me that had gone through the program and they spoke so highly of the program that it encouraged me to say, "I've got to do this too." And my goal was to make sure that I could be the strongest leader that I could be but also that I led with knowledge, skills and background.

Michael Karp:
I wanted to learn more about leadership. Not just economics but finances, how to run divisions, how to run health systems. All of those things were available to me through the EMHA program. I do have a full-time job but the program was really it well designed for me.

Roderick McGrew II:
The online modality was very valuable just because of my demanding work schedule. And so having that flexibility allowed me to maintain my travel schedule.

Michelle Parker:
I had never experienced learning online. It was so user friendly and it was intuitive. It was easy to do. I just felt like I was right there to experiencing my class just as if I was sitting in the classroom. I felt connected to my professors. I felt connected to my cohort.

Daniel Bustamante:
The program itself did have a mix of virtual class settings, as well as an in person residency. With the virtual settings, we were able to get the formal education in a more efficient way but then there was the residency component where we were able to really establish stronger bonds, I'd say.

Nathan DeGodt:
It brings a diverse group of individuals in my class from across the world. One project you'd be working on something from somebody in Kentucky and Germany at the same time. Truly does show you just how diverse the group is and how well accomplished collectively the group was.

Daniel Bustamante:
The EMHA program has other professionals in my field. I've been able to call on those connections, whether it's for a professional reference or professional project that I was trying to take on. My professors have actually served as professional references. That's been really, really helpful as well as just having a personal connection with my professors. They seem genuinely interested in my career progression.

Nathan DeGodt:
I could not have been more impressed with the faculty, with the administrative staff. The coursework in and of itself will push you but it wouldn't be one of the top programs in the country if it accepted anything less.

Roderick McGrew II:
There's the curriculum and content about the healthcare space but there's just a lot of concepts around leadership and leading highly effective teams. I was fortunate enough to receive a promotion while I was in the program. The skills that I learned in the program, I was able to implement immediately.

Aye Lin:
In a meeting, they're talking about financial review and I can apply those concept. Oh, that's what they're talking about. Those numbers coming from this and kind of it applied right away.

Michelle Parker:
Everything that we learned, I was able to directly apply as I was learning. Upon graduation, I went ahead and took the CPHQ test and had become a certified healthcare quality professional.

Nathan DeGodt:
What the program does is makes go down to the granular piece of it, which allowed me to have various conversations with other people within other divisions or departments or organizations that I would not have had otherwise.

Michael Karp:
Getting the EMHA had a great impact on my career. It did put me on a positive path forward. It was definitely the right move for me.

Michelle Parker:
It has been a trajectory that's changed my life.

Laurie Johnson:
This program was a building block to helping me be who I am today and it's meant the world to me.

Michelle Parker

Health Advocacy
EMHA Graduate, 2018

Transcript

[transcript]
Michelle Parker:
So I actually had gotten into some other MBA schools, but USC, it just was a totally different experience and the type of information that I was able to receive, my understanding of the program, and how an online program would work, I felt completely comfortable.

The outcome goals that I had wanted to receive was to be able to better understand the healthcare system throughout the United States, better understand the structure, the processes, and potential outcomes for patients and residents, how all of those factors work together and how, as an advocate, you can better make an impact as you understand those moving pieces. And really felt like I was able to do that through this program.

I had never experienced learning online. It was so user friendly and it was intuitive. It was easy to do. I just felt like I was right there experiencing my class just as if I was sitting in the classroom.

I felt connected to my professors. I felt connected to my cohort. Everything that we learned, I was able to directly apply as I was learning it.

Upon graduation, I went ahead and took the CPHQ test and have become a certified healthcare quality professional. I think it's a fantastic program. Learn everything that you can from professors and from your cohort members, regardless of titles that people have. Be willing to just take all of their experiences and learn everything that you can because there's so much to be gained. It has been a trajectory that's changed my life.
[/transcript]

“The outcome goals that I had wanted to receive was to be able to better understand the healthcare system throughout the United States, better understand the structure, the processes, and potential outcomes for patients and residents, how all of those factors work together and how, as an advocate, you can better make an impact as you understand those moving pieces."

Rodrick McGrew II

Vice President, Enterprise Integration, Molina Healthcare
EMHA Graduate, 2017

“There’s a lot of concepts around leadership and leading highly effective teams. I was fortunate enough to receive a promotion while I was in the program. The skills that I learned in the program, I was able to implement immediately.”

Transcript

[transcript]
Roderick McGrew II:
I would absolutely recommend the USC EMHA Program to anyone that I come in contact with, and I do.

It was a great experience, and not only the curriculum itself, but the diversity within the cohorts.

The online modality was very valuable, just because of my demanding work schedule.

And so, having that flexibility allowed me to maintain my travel schedule.

There were times where I'm in hotel rooms and airports, attending class, and so that made it extremely valuable.

There's the curriculum and content about the healthcare space.

But there's just a lot of concepts of around leadership and leading highly effective teams.

I was fortunate enough to receive a promotion while I was in the program.

The skills that I learned in the program, I was able to implement immediately.

It has a great balance of policy and fundamentals of the entire healthcare landscape.

You get out of it what you put into it.

So, you can just focus on the Core curriculum itself, or you can tap into those new resources that become part of your network.

Continue to expand your knowledge, even after the program is finished.
[/transcript]

Nathan DeGodt

President and CEO, Community Health Accreditation Partner
EMHA Graduate, 2017

Transcript

[transcript]
Nathan DeGodt:
I knew that I would come out of the program, if accepted into the program, sharper, more confident, and obviously with a much more expansive knowledge base. It brings a diverse group of individuals in my class from across the world. One project you'd be working on something from somebody in Kentucky and Germany at the same time. I think the icing on that is also the residencies, because not only does it allow you to start out of the gate knowing peers and potential colleagues, but I think it also gives that level of sophistication where it actually truly does show you just how diverse the group is, and how well accomplished collectively a group was.

You develop friendships. We'll check in on each other. We'll see how our careers are going. We'll check in on family. I learned quickly that I was already taking things that I was learning through the course and applying into my professional life. What the program does is makes you go down to the granular piece of it, which allowed me to have various conversations with other people within other divisions or departments or organizations that I would not have had otherwise. I could not have been more impressed with the faculty, with the administrative staff. The communication is top notch. The coursework in and of itself will push you, so be prepared for that. But it wouldn't be one of the top programs in the country if it accepted anything less. [/transcript]

“I quickly realized that I was already taking things that I was learning through the course and applying them into my professional life. What the program does is makes you go down to the granular piece of it, which allowed me to have various conversations with other people within other divisions or departments or organizations that I would not have had otherwise.”

Laurie Johnson

Ambulatory Chief Administrative Office, Keck School of Medicine at USC
EMHA Graduate, 2016

“I realized that I had been in healthcare for over 20 years, and I didn't have, really, the formal education in healthcare. I had the education in another field. I knew that my education needed to catch up with my experience… And my goal was to make sure that I could be the strongest leader that I could be, but also that I led with knowledge, skills, and background.”

Transcript

[transcript]
Laurie Johnson:
I realized that I had been in healthcare for over 20 years, and I didn't have, really, the formal education in healthcare. I had the education in another field. I knew that my education needed to catch up with my experience.

I was working at Keck Medicine, and there were many people around me that had gone through the program, and they spoke so highly of the program that it encouraged me to say, "I've got to do this, too." And my goal was to make sure that I could be the strongest leader that I could be, but also that I led with knowledge, skills, and background.

I loved our professors. Very down to earth, very much understanding of the commitments that we had outside of school, making sure that they wanted us to succeed. You're building a relationship while you're learning, which is important as a part of this process.

Because I was in healthcare, it wasn't an experiment. It was using what I learned, whether it was in leadership, or the concepts that I learned, I could apply them immediately. Understanding the types of leadership, understanding the type of leader that I was, was very important, because I am in a leadership position.

And the advice that I would give to people is go in it knowing that you're going to be learning something. Be open. Be open to the friendships that you create. Be creative when you're doing this.

So I do feel like this program was a building block to helping me be who I am today, and it's meant the world to me.
[/transcript]

Michael Karp

Physician, Keck School of Medicine at USC
EMHA Graduate, 2014

Transcript

[transcript]
Michael Karp:
The MHA program had a lot to offer me. So all of the courses within the MHA program really helped me to take on the role as the chief of the division. And that's primarily why I joined the program. I do have a full-time job, but the program was really well designed for me. I had flexibility in terms of when I needed to work. So we would meet in class, let's say, on a Monday night or a Tuesday night. We would get our assignments. Somebody might want to work on it right away. Someone else on the team might want to work on it a little bit later in the week. And that all worked for me quite well.

There were a few things that I was looking for specifically. I wanted to learn more about leadership, not just that economics, but finances, how to run divisions, how to run health systems. All of those things were available to me through the EMHA program. It gave me the foundation, the foundational knowledge, along with the on-the-job training that I was getting from my mentors at the health system. Getting the EMHA had a great impact on my career. It did put me on a positive path forward. It was definitely the right move for me.
[/transcript]

“I wanted to learn more about leadership, not just about economics, but finances, how to run divisions, how to run health systems. All of those things were available to me through the EMHA program. It gave me the foundation, the foundational knowledge, along with the on-the-job training that I was getting from my mentors at the health system.”

Daniel Bustamante

Director, Provider Business Development, Keck School of Medicine at USC
EMHA Graduate, 2017

“I thought that the EMHA program would be a great way to help accelerate my career growth. It was earlier in my career, and I really wanted to feel confident in a boardroom or meeting with a physician…With the virtual settings, we were able to get the formal education in a more efficient way, but then there was the residency component where we were able to really establish stronger bonds…”

Transcript

[transcript]
Daniel Bustamante:
I thought that the EMHA program would be a great way to help accelerate my career growth. Was earlier in my career, and I really wanted to feel confident in a boardroom or meeting with a physician. This was a great way for me to get more comfortable, both in my own skin, as well as I was interacting with other professionals. The program itself did have a mix of virtual class settings, as well as an in-person residency.

With the virtual settings, we were able to get the formal education in a more efficient way, but then there was the residency component where we were able to really establish stronger bonds, I'd say. The EMHA program has other professionals in my field. I've been able to call on those connections, whether it's for a professional reference or a professional project that I was trying to take on.

As well as just having a personal connection with my professors, they ask me about my family, they check in and they see how things are going, and they seem genuinely interested in my career progression. One of the best things about the program was I was able to immediately apply the skills that I learned through the program into my day to day job.

... On how to engage my team, how to make sure that my team is motivated and how do I influence others? I would recommend the USC online EMHA degree to a prospective student that either wants to advance their career in healthcare, healthcare administration, as well as to more experienced individuals that are looking to network with other professionals in the field, both in Southern California, as well as across the nation.
[/transcript]

Aye Lin

Attending Physician, Kaiser Permanente
EMHA Graduate, 2018

Transcript

[transcript]
Aye Lin:
I'm a geriatric palliative care, continuing care physician. I'm chief of the department. I've been working with Kaiser for about seven years.

When I graduated from my fellowship program, it's just like you come into this big organization, and then a lot of admin stuff and things like that, things that we never learned in med school. Also, I really want to know more about the health administration perspective, not only the clinical. That's why I started doing the EMHA at USC.

All the physicians have an administrative partner. So in order for us to learn, I need to understand what their perspective is. And I can learn in the real world, for sure, but it will take so much time. So I was like, "Okay, EMHA, with all the professors who are really good, and teaching from their experience."

The site visit to the other hospital and also learning other things, and accounting part, like finance, so those are the things I never have experience in. So that part's really helped me from EMHA program, not only the models and the tools, but also the numbers also.

In a meeting, they're talking about financial review, and I can apply the concept. "Oh, that's what they're talking about. Those number coming from this," and kind of like, it applied right away.

I can still have my full-time job, and to keep it going, and at the same time I can learn, and continue the education.

The world is changing, and I feel like the needs are going to be changed on the line. So yeah, do it sooner than later.
[/transcript]

“…I really want to know more about the health administration perspective, not only the clinical. That's why I started the EMHA at USC. All the physicians have an administrative partner. So in order for us to learn, I need to understand what their perspective is.”