Gilbert Nacouzi
Owner of Optic Nacouzi, as well as, an Optometrist, Doctorate Researcher in
Entrepreneurship, and Data Scientist. He studied BSc Optometry, MBA Healthcare
Management, DBA Doctorate research in Business Administration.

Many consider getting a Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a waste of money and time yet thousands enroll in MBA programs every year and many more take business courses on a continuous basis. This argument in itself tells you that by simply thinking of getting an MBA you are questioning to get facts, build logic, and make decisions. In other words, you have unanswered questions in your mind and you are looking for answers. You inquire, make your search, and get a choice either to enroll or not. Eventually, you’ll come up with an answer that will help you decide. But what does studying business courses or getting an MBA really do for an eye care professional? And who benefits most from those courses? Well, the answer to the second question is everyone.

The answer to the first question depends on the eye care professional, what he’s doing, and what he is trying to accomplish.

For students

Whether studying to become an Optician, an Optometrist, or an Ophthalmologist, students should develop business acumen so that when they enter the market they know how to market themselves, create a budget to manage their finances early at college, and at a more advanced level be able to design a business model to get their products and services in the market.

For Startups

New graduates have fresh ideas, even many of those ideas were generated from their dorm rooms during their early years of study. Dorm room entrepreneurs, newly graduate students, and newly established business owners may not have the time and money to get an MBA degree and commit to 26 to 35 hours of studying and writing assignments and papers. They need to get their idea the quickest possible to the market. They must be knowledgeable of how to build a business model. Their best solution is to enroll in courses that answer their immediate needs and suit their schedule. The goal here is to let the business get ahead, and there are many online platforms that provide online business courses. Open access online courses are great because they don’t break the bank for new entrepreneurs who are on a tight income. However, if they can afford online courses that Ivy league universities provide, they will benefit from the social circle and they can learn a lot from the experience contributed by the cohort who bring their questions to class to discuss with classmates.

For Established Eye Care Professionals

Established eye care employees, employers, and business owners are the most suited to get an MBA. First, they are the most likely to be able to afford to pay tuition for a well-ranked MBA program. Many employers sponsor a part of the whole tuition for their employees. No eye care professional, whether an Ophthalmologist, an Optometrist, an Optician, or an Orthoptist can work in isolation without having to collaborate with specialized eye care professionals. The notion of One Man Show does not exist in today’s complex eye care market. Established eye care professionals must be knowledgeable of how to build a team and how to apply leadership and management theories and skills to build an organizational design that solves complex eye care problems. They must learn how to create time to study, learn, and delegate their team. They must be able to measure performance and understand results. The MBA degree sets them on the right track to understand the ever-growing needs of the eye care market and be able to build the right task force to satisfy those needs.

For Instructors and eye care professionals in academia

An MBA helps instructors and eye care researchers in many ways. Teachers with an MBA get higher chances of being promoted to managerial positions or chief of the department. They can have a tremendous influence on students by conveying a unique message describing their leadership skills and pushing students towards evidence-based methods for advancing eye care. They must be able to demonstrate how business writing differs from medical writing as well as be able to write in both APA (American Psychology Association) style for magazines, blogs, and web content and AMA (American Medical Association) style for medical research and academic publishing.