Healthcare is booming

Q: I am a dentist and want to pursue an MBA in healthcare administration. What are the job prospects? Are the online MBA degrees valid?

Radhesh Rao

A: Healthcare is a very promising sector. Most large and medium sized hospitals have both medical and non-medical staff on their administrative team.

Procurement of technical equipment and medical supplies, recruitment of medical trainees and management of the medical infrastructure with clockwork precision is the responsibility of the medical administrators.

A course in hospital administration equips professionals to plan, direct and co-ordinate the activities of a hospital as well as manage the relationship between patients, physicians, hospitals, insurance companies and government agencies.

The overall objective is to ensure quality healthcare and effective utilisation of funds and other resources.

Several super-speciality hospitals like the Apollo, Escorts, Wockhardt have set up shop and are generating the need for a distinctly qualified and trained breed of managers exposed to quality delivery and information systems in the field of hospital and healthcare management.

And like many other emerging fields, there is a lack of trained hospital managers or administration professionals.

Distance learning and online courses in hospital administration are typically meant for experienced medical personnel so they would be useful for you.

However, online courses are not held in as much esteem as regular ones. They are fine if you wish to upgrade your skills while already working in the field.

Incidentally, the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, IISWBM (www.iiswbm.edu), Calcutta, offers a full-time postgraduate diploma in hospital management.

To have a crack at CAT

Q: I have completed my bachelors in economics this year and my age is 22 years. Is there any age limit and what are the new rules for CAT?

Joydeep Ghosh

A: Luckily, there is no age limit for seeking admission to the PGDBMs offered at the IIMs. Just brush up your preparation thoroughly. From this year onwards, you can appear for the CAT only if you have scored 50 per cent at the bachelors level. There is a 5 per cent concession for the SC/ST and the physically disabled candidates.

Meanwhile, there is some good news for CAT aspirants struggling with time management. You now have an extra half-hour.

Incidentally, CAT forms are now available online. You can log onto www.iimcat2006.com or can access the IIM websites. You can also purchase the CAT bulletin from UTI Bank counters instead of SBI.

Robotics is the career of the future

Q: I want to pursue a career in artificial intelligence programming (robotics). What courses should I opt for? And what are the prospects in India?

Adrivit Mukherjee

A: To enter the field of robotics, you need to study mechanical, electrical or computer engineering. In fact, a sound knowledge of all three fields is an ideal prerequisite. Specialised courses such as artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced robotics systems, intelligent control, image processing, neural networks and fuzzy logic are offered at the IITs, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani and other engineering colleges. Further specialisation can be taken up at the postgraduate level.

The study of robotics will prepare you to apply basic engineering principles and technical skills to support engineers and other professionals engaged in developing and using robots.

Robotics, however, is a long-term, research-oriented career. Organisations like BHEL, BARC and CAIR take in fresh graduates as scientists. Some of the colleges that offer courses in robotics are: Jadavpur University, Calcutta, (www.jadavpur.edu) offers an ME in robotics. Cochin University of Science and Technology, (www.cusat.ac.in) Kochi offers an MSc in electronics science (with specialisation in artificial intelligence and robotics). The eligibility is a BSc with electronics, computer science and physics.

Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute, Mumbai, offers a one-year diploma in robotics and automation.

BITS, Pilani (www.bitspilani.ac.in), offers an ME in computer science (with robotics as a subject) and also offers an MS in robotics and intelligent systems as a distance learning programme.

IIT-Kanpur, Center for Robotics & Mechatronics, Kanpur (www.iitk.ac.in) offers an ME in robotics and robot applications. University of Hyderabad offers an MTech in artificial intelligence and robotics. Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, offers a robotics course.

Osmania University, Hyderabad, offers an ME/MTech in automation and robotics. Besides these, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and the computer science departments at the IITs ? Bombay, Delhi, Kharagpur, Madras as well as IISc, Bangalore and some of the NITs offer robotics as part of their courses.