Interesting Journey of Healthcare Management at GIM

With an offer of Rs 18 lakh in hand from one of the top multi-national company (MNC) in medical device sector, Reeta, (name changed), reflects how her career have taken a big leap in just two years when she joined as a student in healthcare management programme of GIM - Goa Institute of Management , after freshly completing her Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Nursing. “This is just a start”, she was told by the recruiter, “Sky is the limit for good performers”. Before joining this programme, she never realised that a medical-related degree when combined with Post-Graduation Diploma in Healthcare Management can be so rewarding. This is the case with almost all students who have passed from Healthcare Management programme of GIM, so far. Students with background in Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), Bachelor in Pharmacy (BPharma), Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS), Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS), Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery (BUMS), etc., could clearly understand the value of complementing their medical degree with a relevant management education. The offers are also plentiful for students with computer science background as many technology company are seeing healthcare as the biggest opportunity for technological innovation.

“Next Marketing Management Education”! The Healthcare Management course (HCM) offered at GIM is as germane as the larger motto the institute envisions. Though the PGDM- HCM course at GIM has been offered for around half a decade, the success stories of the course have paced it to be on par or even better than some of the older players in the market. Healthcare Management is a niche sector of healthcare industry which requires comprehensive yet highly specialised skillsets in its employees. A person envisaging a career in healthcare management would require to develop an apt blend of managerial skills and industry knowledge, a combination seen missing from the curriculum of many premiere institutions offering similar courses.

GIM prior to offering the HCM course had a thorough process of planning and research in place to make this course not only laid on global standards but also in accordance to the prospective recruiter’s and industry’s demands. A well thought course curriculum has proven its potential with a 100 per cent placement every year since the start of the programme and a 50 per cent leap in the average package offered (from an average of Rs 6.3 lakh per annum in first year to Rs 9.5 lakh per annum in the latest year) reaching up to Rs 23 lakh per annum in the recent most campus placement drive for PGDM-HCM course. There is a high demand, even for hiring summer interns. Within just two years of launch, almost every student gets a paid internship where the stipend goes up to Rs 60,000 per month. While this seems on a little higher side, with high appreciation of our student’s work it looks perfectly justified. In-fact, our students, competing against the best of the talents from IIMs have consecutively won the best summer intern award by the leading companies.

As they say that “Rome was not built in a day but they were laying bricks every hour”! Similarly, GIM with its newly formed lush green campus is expanding dynamically to assure quality teaching, hands-on knowledge of field, international exchange, international recruitment opportunities for the students, etc. The full time as well as the visiting faculty members engaging in knowledge exchange with the students of healthcare management course are renowned academic and industry experts. This makes learning application-based and not just limited to theoretical foundations. Not only are they experts of their fields, they are also actively engaged in various national and international consulting projects with institutions such as World Health Organization (WHO) for technical and research support.

We at GIM have distinguished faculty members such as Prof. Jeff Hammer who has prior teaching experience in prestigious institutions like Princeton University and an executive in-residence Anjan Bose who has held esteemed positions such as Founding Secretary General Healthcare Federation of India (NATHEALTH), Founding Chairman of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) Medical Equipment Forum and has been associated with many more industry giants.

To bridge the gap from campus to corporate, a unique programme aka Know Your Health Provider (KYHP) was integrated across the two years of PGDM -HCM course curriculum. KYHP prepares students in understanding the functional and operational structure of their prospective recruiters. The students across each term visit once a week to various pharmaceutical, medical device, laboratory, hospitals and other healthcare providers and take up projects to come up with business solutions for the pain-points identified by them during the course of time. This exercise prepares and equip them of managerial skills to be inculcated for application at their future workplace.

It is known to all that the mere presence of high intelligence quotient won’t ensure one to be a successful manager. An empathetic leader can take organisation to places. With the intention to increase the EQ of the prospective industry leaders being trained at GIM, the students are made part of a voluntary outreach program called as Give Goa. The students along with their faculty members identify various towns in Goa wherein, in partnership with a grass root organisations students use their skills to help the community and give Goa back. The students from HCM have successfully developed apps (for PTSD in adolescent children), programmes modules and held trainings, awareness generation sessions, etc., at various primary schools, colleges and other community centers. GIM is leaving no stone unturned in holistic training of future healthcare industry leaders.

Growth of an institution is a continuous process and this unfolding has no end. The HCM course at GIM was started with a vision to be known as the best healthcare management program in the world. The journey till now seems quite promising and with the intention in right place to provide quality education, the future for the healthcare management course at GIM appears brighter.

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha.