$15000 Doctorate NA

[ashkir]

Problem is with no healthcare experience it will be quiet difficult to break into the healthcare field even if it’s just administration attempting to hit that six figure salary may pose as a challenge to some.

Indeed, everyone's situation is different. But still, $18,000 is not something difficult or a herculean obstacle to overcome, compared to other doctoral programs. And while you may not start at 6-figures, most people who take the "business route" (BABA, MBA, DHA) have some experience in business management, leadership, supervisory and "other" business acumen (HR, Accounting, Management, PR, etc.). I don't see a healthcare employer looking at a DHA graduate and saying, "great degree, we'll pay you $36,000/yr." Certainly, a DHA will command high 5-figures, as a starter, and a quick path to 6-figures within a few years. 

The Bureau of Labor has this statistic: Is a doctorate in healthcare administration worth it?


With career advancement comes increased salaries. Figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal that medical and health services managers make an average of $104,280 annually. However, health administrators with DHA degrees who work in big hospitals earn as much as $195,630 per year.

I kinda still say no to this argument for someone looking to break into the healthcare field without much experience as many may think you are a bit overqualified with a doctorate and no experience for entry-level. Also, I would argue that without any experience that the program you graduate from may carry more weight than just having the letters behind your name. VUL has very little name recognition and you might be better off at a place like Eastern Virginia Medical School, Central Michigan, Medical University of South Carolina, or even Morehouse. I did VUL for self-fulfillment as I'm fairly established in my career with almost 15 years in healthcare. Yes, the price is right at VUL but there are better programs especially if you didn't have a lot of health management graduate coursework already. But then again it all depends on the roles you are looking at within healthcare. If you plan to work strictly in HR then it may not matter (and a DHA probably doesn't really help either...just looks good on the resume). However, if you are looking for more of an operational leadership role that requires knowledge of healthcare revenue or clinical workflow then the DHA may not help as much as you may think out of the gate. For example, there were quite a few nurses at VUL who choose the DHA route over a DNP as it makes sense since many I guess were desiring operational leadership roles. Just something to consider and just trying to keep it realistic as to what the program can offer.

Interestingly, I never heard of any of those schools until this post. I only learned about VUL from DegreeForum. I guess that's why I'm a West Coaster.

I decided to do VUL not because I wanted a healthcare administration degree, but, because the topics and studies can well round my MA I got from the University of Maine and fill in the gaps. Where I live diversity in degrees is prided. I thought VUL would be a good way to do it.