Nikki Jimenez (MBA’25) on How McDonough’s MBA Certificate in the Business of Health is Preparing Students for Future Careers

Nikki Jimenez (MBA’25) is a second-year student in the Full-time MBA program at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business from Tucson, Arizona. Prior to her MBA journey, Jimenez served in the military and also worked closely with healthcare clients while at Deloitte as a senior consultant. At McDonough, Jimenez serves as an MBA Student Ambassador and is part of several clubs including Graduate Women in Business, Healthcare Business Alliance, McDonough Military Association, Graduate Marketing Association, and Georgetown Tabletop Games Club. 

According to Jimenez, she chose to pursue her MBA at Georgetown because of the school’s Jesuit values, including people for others and cura personalis (care for the whole person). These values deeply resonate with Jimenez, who is committed to service and leadership – which also reinforced her decision to pursue the new MBA Certificate in the Business of Healthcare, launched in spring 2024.  The new certificate is designed to prepare graduates to tackle critical issues and inspire forward-thinking solutions to the healthcare system. 

Here, Jimenez reflects on her decision to enroll in the certificate and how McDonough’s program is preparing her to achieve her future career goals.

What inspired your interest in the healthcare industry? Did you have experience in the industry prior to beginning the Georgetown MBA program?

I was drawn to the healthcare industry out of my passion and commitment to service. I come from a military family and spent a few years in uniform myself, and my husband serves as a doctor in the U.S. Army. I wanted to build a career continuing to serve by helping to improve the systems that take care of people at their most vulnerable moments.

I began my career as a clinical data analyst, evaluating the effectiveness of primary care and behavioral health models in the military health space. I then moved to consulting military health clients on service member medical readiness strategies and clinical policy, supporting communities of specialty providers as they standardized best practices for care in deployed environments.

How will the Georgetown MBA curriculum will assist in your future career goals?

The MBA Certificate in the Business of Healthcare offers a wide variety of classes that provide a strong foundation for a future career in healthcare. The titular course, The Business of Healthcare, provided a thorough introduction to the main parts of the U.S. healthcare industry with a candid review of the competing priorities and misaligned incentives that can result in gaps for health systems, providers, and patients. I was also able to take a Digitization in Healthcare class through another graduate program at Georgetown’s  School of Health. As an MBA student, I can take up to 12 credits at any graduate level program at Georgetown, which I have definitely taken advantage of for some of my elective courses.

What has been your favorite class in the certificate program so far?

My favorite class has been The Business of Healthcare because I learned so much about every aspect of the industry from a variety of perspectives. The instructor for the course, Dan Mendelson, the CEO of Morgan Health, is an engaging and dynamic leader who has a wealth of knowledge about the industry. He brought in diverse speakers including advisors from previous presidential administrations, executives from health systems, leaders of trade organizations, and federal health agency experts. I always left the class feeling energized by Mendelson, the esteemed speakers, and my experienced peers and motivated to contribute to our shared goal of improving the healthcare system. I am excited to be a graduate assistant for the class in Spring 2025 so I can continue learning and help inspire more MBA students to pursue careers in the industry.

What advice would you give to students interested in the healthcare industry?

Aside from taking The Business in Healthcare class, I recommend learning as much as you can about emerging trends in healthcare and the companies that are working to address the gaps. Being a student is a great opportunity to learn something new and get out of your comfort zone, and Georgetown McDonough has created a supportive environment for me to do just that. There are many talks, panels, conferences, and seminars you can attend. In addition to the wide variety of classes in the MBA Certificate in the Business of Healthcare, you’ll never have trouble finding something new to learn about healthcare! The industry will continue to grow and change, so I try to stay on top of it by listening to podcasts like Relentless Health Value, What the Health? from KFF Health News, and Fixing Healthcare. I also read Deloitte Insights articles on current health trends.