Assistant Manager at Aditya Birla Health Insurance | Dr. Nisha Ranade (PT)

This week’s spotlight features Dr. Nisha Ranade (PT). She is a physiotherapist who later pursued MBA in hospital and health management. We are hoping that those of you who are thinking of making the transition into a non clinical career will get some insights. Thank you for sharing your journey with us!

What is your name, job title and workplace?

Dr. Nisha Ranade (PT).

I’m an Assistant Manager at Aditya Birla Health Insurance. 

What is your educational background?

I am a physiotherapy graduate from Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) after which I did MBA in Hospital and Health Management (Class of 2021), and I am currently working in the insurance sector. 

What did you do soon after graduation? For how long?

I have a clinical experience of 1.5 years during which I was associated with Mumbai Football Club as a Youth Teams’ Physiotherapist, Bombay Hospital (Mumbai) and then at a sports clinic in Mumbai. 

When and why did you decide to have a non-clinical career?

My clinical experience ranges from working in a hospital setting, a sports clinic, and as an on-field physiotherapist. What I learnt from this is that there is a large population of people who are really not aware of what wonders physiotherapy can do and physiotherapy can actually help people.

Also, I feel physiotherapists in India are really good at their clinical work, but there is still scope to improve in our management abilities like every other profession.

That’s when I decided I need to learn about management and opt for an MBA course. 

How did people react to you leaving patient care?

The obvious questions when I decided to join MBA course were –

a. Do you not like physiotherapy?

b. Does physiotherapy not pay you much?

And comments like there’s a lot of scope outside India. Try going abroad. 

Tell us more about the admission process of IIHMR, Jaipur

After a good amount of research for selecting the right MBA course with a background that I have, I applied for MBA Hospital & Healthcare Management at IIHMR University, Jaipur.

You can get into IIHMR through various competitive exams like CAT, MAT, XAT, GMAT or through IIHMR-U MAT exam to begin with. After clearing the test there’s a Group Discussion round, followed by a Personal Interview. 

What did you learn in MBA in hospital and health management courses? 

During the course of MBA in Hospital and Health Management, I have learnt various subjects from core management subjects like HR, Finance, Marketing, Research (to name a few) to health-related subjects like National Health Policies, Health Economics, Hospital management, medical devices, Legal framework, Health Insurance. 

How did you hear about the current role? connections/ applications?

I am currently working in the Insurance sector which I got through campus placements.

What skills and knowledge that you learned in PT school that you still apply now?

The knowledge gained during graduation related to medical conditions have immense importance while working in the Insurance sector along with managerial qualities. 

What are the challenges you face?

The biggest challenge in this transition is that a clinical job involves physical activities but a desk job is completely the opposite of it. So, we have to manage keeping ourselves active throughout the day while working on the screens.  

What is the pay like? Compared to clinical roles?

The pay in corporate set ups is definitely more compared to a beginner clinical role. 

Do you treat patients?

I do like to keep myself updated by reading more and having conversations with professionals in the clinical field. I do treat patients as a freelancer. It gives me happiness and is a reminder that I have to make sure I am creating awareness about physiotherapy even if that is one person in one session. 

What is the career path for someone in your role?

Career path for a physiotherapist, with an MBA degree can be as traditional as managing a clinical setup or starting their own setup, or entering the corporate world in Insurance, Pharmaceutical sector, Hospital administration. 

What is next for you?

I am currently improving my skills working in the corporate sector and learning as much as possible. If things go well, and as planned I might have something big to talk about. 

What is your advice for someone who wants to transition to a non-clinical career?

The first thing I would want to address is to be sure of why you want to transition and having a rough idea of what the future will look like is always good. I feel there should not be any regrets for choosing a non-clinical career path. 

Are you or your company hiring PTs?

My current company does not hire PTs right after graduation, you require work experience in related sectors or a management degree.

But there are many other companies who hire fresh physiotherapy graduates for non-clinical roles. 

Where can people reach you?

People can reach out to me on LinkedIn.