by Nick Jacobs

Almost every week someone says to me, "How did you make the transition from being a teacher and professional trumpet player to running a hospital and a research institute?" In so many ways, it is exactly the same job. Clearly, the human mind sometimes has trouble grasping non-traditional career paths. As a young man, my passion was for helping people through education. It was clear to me that you could change a person's life almost completely with enough information.

There is no question that my journey was out of necessity. During the 70’s and 80’s the area where my family decided to settle we experienced the highest out migration of any city in the United States except for East St. Louis, Missouri. This was due largely to something called the Johnstown Flood. Unemployment reached 19% and my most demanding job was to find a way to continue to be employed to care for my family. So, at age 40 with a B.S. and an M Ed in hand, I headed back to Carnegie Mellon University for a second Masters in Public Management/Health Systems Management. It was a good decision, a unique program and a very different approach from the typical MHA or MBA because it exposed us to all aspects of public management. After that the Executive Program for Health Systems Certification at Harvard put some meat on the bones, and finally, the Fellowship from the American College of Healthcare Executives finished the credentialing journey. It took nearly a decade in total and almost more hours than a typical day held, but it provided the ticket to passage.

Would I do it again? Truthfully, my desire to nurture and care for people has been fulfilled in every way. The gift of healthcare delivery is second only to helping a lost kid find their way through education. Am I disappointed in the Medical Industrial Complex? Sure, but nothing that man has touched is perfect. My only advice to the student readers is that sometimes the hard way is more meaningful. All but my B.S. degree were attained while employed. It was extremely difficult to put in a 70 hour week and then drive to Pittsburgh two hours each way after work, but the experience was very rich because of the direct applicability to my job on a daily basis. School is great, and continuing education is a must. Don’t stop.