Graduate student applies background in health care to post-MBA career

University of Kansas MBA student John McGrew graduated in 2020 from the Research College of Nursing in Kansas City, Missouri, with his nursing degree. The Lawrence native always loved working with people and had several careers before going into nursing. But graduating during the pandemic left him wondering if this was truly the right path for him. 

During his time in health care, McGrew discovered a love of managing and leading teams. He saw gaps in the health care industry that he had ideas for how to fix. However, with a complicated American health care system, McGrew’s mental health began to suffer from burnout, and he soon found himself at a crossroads of staying in a field that he worked so hard to get into or leave for a completely new path. 

“In health care, you’re just carrying out someone else’s orders,” McGrew said. “I realized that health care doesn’t care if you have an MBA; they want you to just have 10 years of nursing experience. That doesn't necessarily make you good at leading nurses, and I've seen that constantly. So, I went to get my MBA to try to fix that issue or the gap that I saw in the industry, and we don’t change within the health care system. I felt a calling toward something that couldn’t be done here [in health care].” 

McGrew says that about half of his graduating nursing class still practices. He knew that if he wanted to get the chance to lead people, ideate and fix gaps within systems, he needed to switch his career path, and an MBA would help him do just that.

Coming into KU’s full-time MBA program, McGrew was excited for the new opportunities that the program would bring but nervous about his lack of a business background. To his surprise, there were a lot of overlaps between his scientific background and business concepts.

“They instill this idea in us in nursing that with a medical diagnosis, you're constantly testing to see if something worked, and if it didn't, you move on to the next thing,” McGrew said. “The fact that we're constantly assessing and constantly changing and that was already put into me, made marketing not as frustrating. It came naturally to me that I could constantly be able to look at something, understand this didn't work, and then figure out why and then move on to the next answer.”

Students in KU’s full-time MBA program complete the BUS 810/812 Kansas Small Business capstone course where they work in groups with small businesses around Kansas to solve a range of business challenges. McGrew’s group worked with Fix A Field, a family-owned turf maintenance company. They helped the business expand its staff. The owners also needed assistance with small day-to-day tasks to create less travel between fields in the area and instead focus on big picture items. McGrew advises future MBA students taking the class to remember who they’re serving.

“You go in there thinking that you've got to make a huge change,” McGrew says. “But most of them have a very good foundation and are profitable because they know what they are doing. All you have to do is change one little tiny thing and it will ripple-effect through everything that they're doing. Just listen to them.”

McGrew’s favorite part about the MBA program was how it allowed him to adapt and grow into skills and a new phase of life. This past summer, he interned at Hill’s Pet Nutrition as a marketing intern. He worked alongside MBA interns from bigger programs and Ivy League schools, often comparing himself to them. But when it came to their projects, McGrew found himself ahead of the game. He said that shifting away from the competitive mindset he had at the start of his MBA program and focusing on his own growth helped him excel during his internship.

“I didn’t come from a business background like a lot of my fellow cohort members and interns,” McGrew said. “I came in thinking that everyone was way smarter than me. But the program has helped me look at the adaptive side and see that all you’re trying to do is figure out how to deal with tough situations and manage with people. You get confident in the idea that everyone's here to help you. Not everyone is here to be against you. It's not a fight for who does the best.”

McGrew will graduate in December 2025 and return to work at Hill’s full time. He appreciates the full-time MBA faculty and staff for supporting his transition from health care to marketing.

“I don’t think I would’ve gone into marketing if it wasn’t for the MBA program,” McGrew said. “When you get out of your comfort zone, you grow. Now, we constantly live out of our comfort zones. I look back at my internship and see that they are really good at evaluating potential and seeing who they can invest their time in, and I glad that I've proven that I have the potential for them to invest in.”