Prospects 2008 MBA Guide

BRUNEL BUSINESS SCHOOL MBA LOUISE PATTEN REFLECTS ON MBA LIFE AT BRUNEL Before starting my MBA, I was employed as Deputy Chief Executive of a Primary Care Trust. Over the course of my career with the Health Service, I have held a number of managerial positions – both on the clinical and non-clinical side, including the post of Associate Director of Nursing. I began my career as a nurse. Nowadays, many areas of the National Health Service are run along commercial lines and so for senior managers the MBA is increasingly seen as an important qualification to have. I therefore knew it was something that I wanted to do but the challenge was finding the time! I knew I would struggle to combine study with the demands of my directorate-level position so in the end I opted to take a sabbatical to study full-time. As the NHS was about to undergo a further radical re-organisation, I knew that if I didn’t do it when I did, I’d never have done it. FLEXIBLE LEARNING I considered a number of Schools. The MBA enabled me to ‘bed down’ the knowledge and experience I had acquired as senior manager within the NHS. I now feel I have a more thorough understanding of the sophistications of company finance which should prove invaluable when assessing tenders for services. My knowledge of marketing strategy will also be useful now that hospitals are beginning to have to use marketing techniques. NETWORKS I am also extremely grateful for the My main requirement was flexibility. My family commitments would have made it very difficult for me to be on campus from nine until five every weekday. Brunel’s timetable meant I was able to do some of my studying at home and during hours that were more convenient to me. I also liked the strong international feel of the Brunel MBA. The Brunel MBA involves the study of eight core modules which cover the main business disciplines. My dissertation involved investigating the effects Patient Choice might have on the hospital supply chain. I am confident that I can use my research findings to sell consultancy to a number of organisations within the Health Service. I am also research published in an academic journal. networking opportunities – I have built up contacts not only amongst my fellow MBA students but also amongst the academic staff at Brunel Business School and across the University as a whole and I know I will be able to make use of these at work. As a result of what I learned on the MBA, I was able to set up my own company for my consultancy work. Since finishing my MBA, I have been offered a number of consultancy contracts – more than enough to keep me going while I decide my next step career wise. People value the fact that I have gone out and consolidated my knowledge and experience – I have get a return on my investment within two years. PROSPECTS MBA GUIDE 17 working with two of the lecturers at Brunel to get my been surprised at the reaction. I am confident I will

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Added Value - The Benefits of an MBA MBA Success at Bath The World MBA Tour The Right Fit - Finding the Best Programme MBA Funding - Money Talks MBA Diary University of Nottingham Business School MBA Brunel Business School MBA University of Leicester School of Management MBA Derbyshire Business School MBA Bournemouth University Business School MBA Loughborough University Business School MBA Search for a MBA to suit you

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