Toyobo: Why I Pursued Medical and MBA Degrees Simultaneously

Dr Olubukola Toyobo is a Nigerian who simultaneously pursued a medical and MBA degrees from Pennsylvania State University, US, and excelled in both. She shared with Uchechukwu Nnaike her motivation, aspirations and plans

At a time when it is said Nigerian youths have lost the zeal to work hard, Dr Olubukola Toyobo courageously enrolled on medical and Master of Business Administration (MBA) programmes, withstood the rigours of both courses and excelled in both.
Hers was a move fuelled by the determination to cross-practice medicine and be able to provide the funding and resources to maintain whatever hospital or medical practice she is​ part of in the long run.

Toyobo, who had obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the same university in 2016, said she noticed the tension between management and clinicians due to differing perspectives on their goals.

“That’s what ultimately motivated me to pursue an MBA during medical school to bridge the gap in understanding both parties with the goal of improving patient experiences and providing cost-efficient services,” Toyobo noted.

On her family’s reaction over her decision to pursue the demanding courses simultaneously, she said her family was ecstatic and slightly nervous about her choice, especially as it would add an extra year to her medical training.​

“However, they supported my decision because it would differentiate me from other clinicians as I would better understand what drives costs in hospital management,” she explained. “In addition, very few doctors have an MBA, which would give me a competitive advantage in working as a clinical physician, hospital management, or the area of policy.”

According to her, she had a positive experience studying both programmes because she could apply the knowledge she gained to provide a different perspective to her business classes which helped in her understanding.
She added that she was able to interact with like-minded individuals, including leaders in the medical industry, with similar interests in improving the healthcare system.

Asked how she managed her schedule to prevent any clash between both courses, she said she did the first year of the MBA programme between the third and fourth year of medical school when she had a break. Afterwards, she was to coordinate with the lecturers to take exams at certain times, days, or weekends.
She stated that about 5 per cent of her medical class elected to complete an MBA, which made it easier for them to work together.

Toyobo admitted that running both programmes was challenging, but she never thought of quitting any because she was purpose-driven.
“I did not consider dropping any course because I enjoyed acquiring business acumen in relation to the application of my medical knowledge. A challenging crossroad while completing both courses was deciding on a business concentration that would be most beneficial to my career,” added Toyobo. “Due to my interest in medical quality improvement projects and health system sciences, I took consulting courses.”
According to her, whenever she felt stressed with her workload, she revisited her time management and well-being and reflected on previous activities and how to prioritize and focus her task to reach her goal.

Toyobo added that she prioritised her well-beingwell-being by exercising regularly. She said taking a walk or running helps her enjoy nature, reflect on previous events, and prepare for the next day. She also enjoys cooking.

She stated that the knowledge​ she acquired in business administration has started to pay off because shortly after completing her MBA, she participated in the Global Health Case Competition at a well-known medical college.​

“I had first-hand experience working with a multidisciplinary team across different medical schools to utilize creativity, innovation, and feasible solutions to real-life problems encountered by medical businesses,” she said.

On her future plans, Toyobo said, “I plan to complete my preliminary medical training in internal medicine. Thereafter, I will pursue anesthesiology. Throughout medical school, I was drawn to working in the operating room. During my weeks of anaesthesia rotations, the variety and complexity of cases were fascinating; I enjoyed everything, from supporting senior residents in understanding patient risk factors to utilizing anaesthetic agents to minimize complications and triaging the next steps.”

On her long-term ambition, she described medical training as a journey which takes a few years to complete to get to the medical attending level and practice independently.

After completing her medical residency, she plans to join management and climb the ladder to become a medical director, honing her skills in health system sciences and lean six sigma training, “which has given me a mindset of continual improvement in quality care and efficiency.”​
She also mentioned that the knowledge “helps me better identify root causes when forming care plans to discuss with the team while adapting approaches to improve and reduce patients’ length of stay.”

Asked if and when she hopes to return to Nigeria to help develop the health sector, Toyobo said after about five years of the residency programme and a few years of practice, she hoped to move back to Nigeria and see where best she can use her skills to support.
Toyobo said from her interactions with the medical system during her short stay in Nigeria, she thought it was important for her to have that business background in terms of being able to cross-practice medicine and be able to provide the funding and resources to maintain whatever hospital or medical practice she is part of.

She stated that her top three role models are her parents and medical school adviser.​

“First, my parents have paved the way for me to be hard-working and resilient. Their support has pushed me forward with every hurdle that has come my way. Seeing my parents be adaptable, hard-working, and ascend to unexpected places has been a motivating factor for me,” she stressed.​
She also credited her adviser.

“Secondly, my medical school adviser is a leader in medicine that is approachable and steadfast in her career achievements,” she said. “Both my parents and medical school adviser have characteristics I aspire to make part of my journey to success.”