Rising healthcare costs in the U.S and elsewhere are prompting growing numbers of American companies to hire graduates with joint medical diploma and MBA qualifications, according to a business school.
Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth has said it has seen a rapid expansion of its joint MD/MBA programme, amid growing concerns among U.S companies at the spiralling cost of providing healthcare to employees and how best to tackle the problem.
The business school is even holding a conference this month to discuss the issue, and how such joint MBAs can help give employers an edge.
The number of U.S business schools offering joint MD/MBAs has grown from 16 in 1996 to more than fifty this year, said Tuck.
There has also been strong growth in the demand by companies to hire such joint graduates.
Students enrolled in Tuck's programme had been recruited by companies such as Johnson & Johnson and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, along with more traditional destinations such as consulting firm McKinsey & Company.
"There is a pressing need for healthcare leaders with an in-depth understanding of both medical and management issues – leaders equipped to develop innovative solutions to these complex issues," said Dr Don Conway, co-director of the MD/MBA program at Tuck.