title: The physician-executive: Part 1. The younger doctor. Growing demand for an emergency subspecialty.
abstract: Changes in the health care system have fostered the need for a new, evolving specialty: the physician-executive. The author, who foresees medical administration as a board-certified subspecialty within five years, describes this position as a liaison between the administrative and the clinical personnel of a hospital or prepaid health plan. It is particularly suitable for young physicians who are newly certified in internal medicine. Consideration is given to the advantages of a medical degree for such an executive, and the various management training programs currently available are described. An MBA is recommended for anyone who expects to become a full-time physician-executive. The core curriculum of the Wharton Business School's MBA in health administration is cited as a model program.
mesh_terms: D002321:Career Choice; D003625:Data Collection; D004501:Education, Medical; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D005544:Forecasting; D006739:Hospital Administration / Q000193:education*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D008486:Physician Executives; D013038:Specialization; D014481:United States