Professional Development
At the Eccles School, we believe that a great amount of learning occurs outside of the classroom. This hands-on participation is an integral part of the student experience. In addition to the knowledge and skills garnered through integrative experiences and internships, MHA students are also encouraged to get involved with the many extracurricular clubs and organizations the University of Utah offers to facilitate learning and networking within the healthcare administration field.
The Master of Healthcare Administration Student Association (MHASA) at the University of Utah serves students by providing them with meaningful healthcare service opportunities as well as organizing socials with students and alumni. We also help facilitate opportunities by collaborating with the Eccles School MHA staff and faculty to facilitate professional development and build a foundation of knowledge, commitment, passion and experience in healthcare.
Each year, our MHA students work with faculty and staff advisors to participate in the University of Alabama Birmingham Health Administration Case Competition. This prestigious national competition provides graduate students from CAHME-accredited programs an opportunity to put what they have learned into practice with a real-life, real-time case. It is designed to be a capstone experience for graduate students across the United States and Canada.
Graduate student teams travel to Birmingham, Alabama to present their recommendations before a national panel of judges. The teams that place first, second, and third receive cash awards at the final ceremony. Qualified MHA students may receive financial assistance to attend this competition in addition to logistical support.
The UMentor Healthcare Leadership program is an opportunity for first- and second-year MHA students to form a lasting partnership with an executive-level mentor in the healthcare industry. Students can expect to expand their professional network, connect theory to application and explore areas of interest through advice and exposure to career options as a result of meaningful interactions with their mentor.
Each spring, the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) holds its annual leadership congress, and our MHA program provides support for students to attend. This conference provides rich educational opportunities as well as industry networking. Students report that this conference is an excellent way to learn more about the healthcare industry and find it a highly rewarding experience with their fellow students.
The Bench-to-Bedside competition is designed to introduce medical, engineering and business students to the fascinating world of medical-device innovation. What began as a beta-test for the BioInnovate program has quickly become a dominant opportunity within the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute.
Student teams form multidisciplinary “start-up” companies and are given the task of identifying an unmet clinical need. Teams are given access to more than 100 University physicians from a broad area of specialties to serve as their consultants, key opinion leaders and stakeholders. The teams have six months and a $500 fund to develop medical device concepts that address their identified need. In that six-month time period, students will have evaluated the IP landscape, prototyped their design and constructed a business plan before presenting their cases in the competition.