Scope of PGDM in Healthcare Management from Goa Institute of Management

Shiksha.com recently concluded a session with top experts of the GIM - Goa Institute of Management covered details around the Postgraduation Diploma in Healthcare Management (HCM). The experts talked in detail about the HCM course, eligibility and selection process, career options and growth opportunities.  Connect with experts from Goa Institute of Management' admission process, eligibility criteria, fee, placement process, recruitment companies, salaries and posts offered, among others. Here is an edited excerpt of the conversation:

Q: Who should apply for a HCM programme?

A: HCM programme is suited for someone who has an understanding of healthcare sector. There are immense opportunities in various industries of healthcare such as medical devices, pharma, hospital, public health, IT, health insurance etc. For a student from finance or IT background can pursue healthcare financing, health economics and health insurance. These are some of the most sought after areas in healthcare today.

Q: What is the future prospects after studying HCM? What is the average and highest package offered after the completion of the course?

A: Our expectation is that the healthcare sector will be growing at least for a decade. The recently launched government-run Ayushman Bharat Scheme is expected to generate more job opportunities across the country.

The highest package offered at GIM last year was Rs 23 lakh per annum, while the average package was Rs 9 lakh.

Q: How is healthcare management different from hospital management programme?

A: In healthcare management all other domains of healthcare such as pharma, medical devices, healthcare technology are covered, in addition to hospitals. Thus, the scope of growth is much wider in healthcare management when compared with hospital management.

Q: What is the admission criteria to GIM’s HCM course?

A: While in most MBA programmes a cut-off score in entrance examination is kept as an important criterion for admission, in HCM programme there is no specific cut-off. This is because, to be successful in healthcare management, the overall profile of the candidate is much more important than just the entrance exam cut-off. Hence, with our objective to produce finest quality healthcare managers in the country, we focus on admitting students with a certain profile mix:

• Graduation in healthcare-related disciplines, such as Bachelor in Medicine Bachelor in Surgery (MBBS), Bachelor in Dental Surgery (BDS), Bachelor in Pharmacy(B.Pharma), Bio-technology, Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS), Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS), Bachelor in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology, Bachelor in Prosthesis and Orthosis (BPO), Bachelor of Science in Microbiology, Biochemistry, etc.
• Graduation in engineering related to disciplines such as IT, Computer science, Electronics, etc., is also considered along with graduation in field related to healthcare management such as B.Sc. Hospital administration and BBA in Healthcare Management
• Experience of working in healthcare organizations or on healthcare projects such as Hospitals, Public Health, Healthcare IT, Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, Health Insurance etc.
• Consistently good academic performance in Class X, XII and graduation

On the basis of above points, each and every application received for admission under HCM programme is evaluated for shortlisting and interview calls.

Q: What is the selection process to get admission to HCM course? What is the student intake in a session?

A: We have an in-house entrance exam conducted by GIM. Those who clear the entrance exam appear for Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI). We create a batch of 60 students for this course.

Q: What are the preparation tips for the personal interview session?

A: A candidate must be prepared with an understanding of healthcare industry and also brush up the academic skills. Current affairs knowledge is a plus, along with strong quantitative skills.

Q: What is the average cut-off for CMAT score?

A: There is no specific cut-off in case of Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) score. However, at the time of admission your CMAT score along with your background and academic performance in Class X and XII will be considered. Generally, people with healthcare background and computer science background have a better chance of getting shortlisted.

Q: What makes GIM stand apart from other institutes such as TISS, Symbiosis and IIHMR-Jaipur?

A: Studying HCM at GIM helps develop your expertise across all domains of healthcare, including public health, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, IT and hospitals. All other institutes tend to focus on either public health or hospitals or other individual domains.