MHA students place second in case study contest

Four Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.) degree students from the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) School of Rural Public Health placed second in the 2012 George McMillan Fleming Center for Healthcare Management Case Study Competition, hosted by The University of Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health on March 31 in Houston.

The theme for this inaugural competition was financial and quality excellence in health care delivery. The team composed of Mai Hoang, Tyler Colton, Lindsay Shaw and Xavier Escobar were tasked with analyzing the financial status of a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) department and recommending ways to improve the department’s operations in terms of physician utility and staffing without compromising quality care. This case study allowed the team to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom to a realistic scenario they may encounter in the future as health care professionals.

Shaw found this experience extremely beneficial because it gave her the opportunity to both “collaborate with a strong team of students and explore relevant challenges that face current health care administrators.” The M.H.A. program at TAMHSC-School of Rural Public Health was ranked this year by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top M.H.A. programs nationally.