University of Charleston and the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine partner to combine MBA and D.O. programs

Students at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine have a new opportunity starting this summer. They will have the option to learn how to manage a business in addition to learning to manage their future patient’s health.

The partnership between West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and the University of Charleston will allow the students at the medical school to add a Master of Business Administration (or MBA) degree to their Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (or D.O.) degree through a new five-year program.

The presidents from both schools were in attendance at a ceremony at WVSOM’s campus in Lewisburg that was live streamed to the public. The presidents signed a memorandum of understanding which laid out the tuition and billing, academic policies, admission procedures, and more of the new partnership. The D.O./MBA program will start this July and any second year WVSOM student who is in good academic standing will be eligible to apply.

The president of West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., was quoted in an article on the school’s website about how the agreement between his school and the University of Charleston will allow for students to be better served, especially those who are interested in the business side of healthcare, saying, “Today’s medical students want the flexibility to seek out additional education that will help them build successful practices. The University of Charleston is an outstanding institution, and we’re happy to work with their administration to offer this option to our hard-working future physicians.”

The president of the University of Charleston, Marty Roth, Ph.D., MBA, was also quoted on some of the ways the partnership will have physicians work themselves into leadership roles, saying, “At the University of Charleston, we are always looking for innovative ways to help students achieve their personal goals and professional success. This partnership is a unique and exciting opportunity for students to position themselves for roles that require a combination of patient care, management skills and leadership expertise. Our MBA program offers students exceptional applied learning opportunities for advancing their business proficiency and organizational capabilities. We are proud to work with WVSOM to help the next generation of physicians face the changing field of health care, offer exemplary care to their communities, and grow as professionals and individuals.”

The partnership sets up a path for students to attend two years of preclinical education at osteopathic medical school before beginning a 10-month online program at the University of Charleston, which will end in them being awarded an MBA degree. After completing the MBA program, students will move on to WVSOM to complete their third and fourth year students at rotation sites in the school’s campuses around the state where they will learn in various clinical settings like hospitals, medical centers, and physician offices.

The MBA program contains classes in health care informatics, strategic decision making, international business, managerial finance, managerial economics, health care policy and ethics, managerial accounting, quantitative methods, management, health care economics, and applied marketing. 

One of the people who worked to establish the dual degree program was an associate professor in WVSOM’s Department of Biomedical Sciences, Brian Griffith, Ph.D. Griffith talked about how the program sets up WVSOM to produce medical students who also have the necessary business skills to build successful careers. He also noted that the partnership will give students an advantage during the selection process for residencies that takes place during medical school.

“Health care knowledge is only one part of being a successful physician, so earning two degrees will better prepare our students to enter the health care profession. Learning about managing businesses will give them a better understanding of how to run an individual or group practice, or to work in health care administration. We also hope the program will help students be selected for top-tier residency programs, because they will have an additional degree,” said Griffith.

WVSOM’s Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean Linda Boyd, D.O. talked about her support for the partnership and how it provides students a completely new educational option, saying, “Many applicants to medical school look for opportunities to expand their education by getting a dual degree. An MBA is one of the most popular degrees to get while in medical school. The University of Charleston brings students a quality education at an affordable cost, and we are thrilled to offer this opportunity to our students who choose to learn more about the business of health care.” 

More information about the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine can be found at the school’s website.

More information about the University of Charleston can be found at the school’s website.