One of the great joys of doctoring is the lifelong learning it entails. That's why you see so many MD/JDs, MD/MPHs and MD/PhDs in the profession. And that's why you're starting to see so many MD/MBAs as well.

More physicians are applying their love of learning to the economic changes swirling around them and opting for a focus on business education. "Doctors come to us and say, 'I need to understand the business side of healthcare,'" reports Debbie Moysychyn, executive director of the Executive and Health Care Executive MBA programs at the Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine. The trick is knowing what advanced courses can and can't do for you and what to expect once classes begin. Here are seven important don'ts for physicians contemplating beefing up their business backgrounds.

1. Don't worry about your classmates.
You won't be surrounded by dopey classmates calling you "dude" whether you're male or female. "The average age of our students is 40 years old, with just over 12 years of experience," Moysychyn says. "These folks have a myriad of experience that brings incredible value to classroom discussions."

Students, Moysychyn notes, are often Peter Principle victims. Company executives assume a great physician must also be a great administrator, so doctors get appointed to positions they may not be fully ready for, she explains. "They take the jobs, and then realize they don't understand the business aspects. That's when they come seeking an MBA."

2. Don't assume MBAs are only for administrators.
Many physician MBA candidates don't have any management or ownership duties, but simply want to know more about the economic environment they work in. The Merage classes, for example, have welcomed a number of Kaiser doctors.

S. Eric Anderson, PhD, MBA, the MBA program director at the Loma Linda University School of Public Health's Department of Health Administration, notes that his program sees "many MDs who are primarily clinicians who have administrative aspirations. Doctors who take the program will have a whole new set of tools to apply when they practice medicine." Many administrators will send MDs to the program "because they feel it will help them better account for the tradeoffs in the healthcare decision-making process," he adds.

3. Don't fret about math skills.
Management-oriented programs usually emphasize understanding finances rather than developing detailed financial plans, Anderson says. "Having a good head for numbers helps," he says, "but is not a requirement, because our program primarily focuses on reading, not constructing financial statements and reports to understand how best to make financial decisions."

An increasing number of medical professionals feel that administrators with no clinical background don't really understand the issues. "So a medical professional with an MBA as a leader is often more appreciated," Anderson says. LLU offers evening-only classes; a doctor who takes four each quarter will have the degree in a year.

4. Don't assume a healthcare MBA is a gimmick.
Such programs are not designed to capitalize on physicians' frustrations with managed care, declining reimbursement and rising costs. You're getting a real MBA, just like the whiz kids who run Wall Street. At UCI, a graduate can designate that it's a healthcare MBA on his or her resume, but from Merage's perspective, an MBA is an MBA is an MBA. The HCEMBA is a 92-unit degree that takes two years to complete.

5. Don't consider an MBA the end of your learning.
Merage, for example, offers individual courses through its Executive Education program in addition to an MBA Update program. Some of the courses from the HCEMBA curriculum are also taught as standalone classes. Sample course titles include "The Innovative Organization" and "Man_a_ging Employee Performance."

6. Don't think your studies will take forever.
UCLA's Anderson School of Management, for example, offers an Executive MBA Program, a two-year degree that caters to mid-career professionals who want to develop business skills, and Executive Education Programs, an alternative to a full MBA that "explores the essentials of an MBA curriculum," says Andrew Resnik, marketing director at Anderson's Office of Executive Education Programs.

7. Don't forget to explore other learning options.
USC's Marshall School of Business offers a master's degree in medical management. "The faculty tries to tailor the course work so it's of immediate practical use to people in the health professions," says Cherie Scricca, EdD, associate dean. "[It's popular with doctors and others] who are looking to do something entrepreneurial or to advance to upper levels in healthcare management, such as hospital management."

You might also feel compelled to follow your passion for public health. UCLA offers, through its School of Public Health, an Executive Master of Public Health in Healthcare Management and Policy, or EMPH. It's a weekend program for working physicians, nurses and program administrators designed to help them manage their organizations in the midst of a rapidly changing healthcare environment.

No matter which degree you choose, you're sure to grow when you study hard at these leading universities.