fangshopper

If you haven't come across it yet, here is a good place to find a lot of MPH-focused information: http://forums.studen...isplay.php?f=94 with that said, i have an MPH in "Health Policy and Management" (from Berkeley). I was working in healthcare before I started my program, but at the time I was interested in transitioning into health policy. while I'm interested in both worlds, I ended up going back into healthcare administration after graduating, but somewhat ironically will be going back to school for a PhD (in health services, which mostly a mix of health policy and epi) in the fall. Health Policy encompasses so much that a lot of it comes down to what areas of policy you are most interested in. My take on health policy, or policy in general, is that you should be knowledgeable about the content (e.g., nursing policy for you) as well as the skills to analyze and/or propose policy (e.g., probably what you're trying to develop). I think you'll find that many programs that prepare graduates for doing work in policy generally require a reasonable amount of quantitative and analytical preparation: this will mean economics, statistics, and finance, not to mention epidemiology which you should be getting in pretty much any accredited MPH program. Courses such as accounting and other management-type classes certainly don't hurt (at least in my opinion, since I think they are skills that people should take into their careers regardless of what they do). As for taking accounting or econ prior to starting school, it can't hurt, but I doubt it would be a prerequisite for admission. I served on the admissions committee at my school and we placed a lot of weight on experience rather than looking for specific classes that people took. So if given the choice of taking an accounting class over getting some more work or volunteer experience, I would advise the latter. For my MPH, the curriculum was intended to combine policy and management, unlike some programs at which you choose policy or management. Nevertheless, I felt that curriculum was more focused on the content (e.g., the health care system or health services, etc) than it was on some of the skills (especially analytical skills) used to develop and analyze policy. I wound up taking some quant analysis classes and public policy classes as electives though. when you look at programs take a look at the curriculum as well as what electives are available. Since you may already be quite well-versed in your issues of interest, you may want to look for a program that focuses on the analytical skills. In such case, a health policy-specific program may be what you want to look for. Although I wouldn't discount the programs that offer both policy and management because many of the current management issues often related to the healthcare workforce (e.g., nursing - such as nurse-hospital relationships; nurse workforce planning). However, from the sounds of it, you probably wouldn't be too interested in a management-focused or business-focused program. Similarly, depending on what skillset you're looking to develop and what your level of expertise is on the content area, a biostats or epi emphasis may also work, although these are often very focused on the analysis of the data, rather than on policy. You may also want to look into MPP programs which will offer a policy-focused training. How the school handles internships may really set them apart from one another. One thing to really look for is what type of support does the school offer to helping students find internships. Schools such as michigan, hopkins, and berkeley provide a lot of support to match students with internships, but I've also heard of schools where students are pretty much on their own. the more highly reputed schools tend to have connections with DC, so that is also something to keep in mind, but in the end, it is still generally up to the student. if you learn of an internship in DC, most of the times the school would not have a problem with you pursuing that. However, proximity can be very important especially for developing and maintaining a network. So if it is important for you to develop that network while you're in school, it may be worth while to consider the schools near DC. As for your credentials, it seems to me that you would be a strong candidate for many programs, including Hopkins and Emory. As with most graduate programs, a lot of weight is given to the personal statement and the letters of recommendation, but your numbers would certainly not raise any red flags.

Generally, I'm interested in provider behavior, in response to financial incentives, organizational structure, patient characteristics, etc... I applied for the health econ track, but I think my interests fall somewhere between econ and organizations. what about you? I did my MPH at Berkeley, and I've heard through the grapevine that it was a pretty big applicant group this year... so fingers crossed, right?

Just found out about this site. In at UW - Health Services Still waiting for: Berkeley - HSPA Michigan - HSOP UNC - HPM I'm getting a bit anxious since I don't want to lose potential funding at UW if i wait too long to accept.