Dr Ulf Basting-Neumann MD: Controlling is becoming increasingly important for medical staff
	Compact Course of Study Business Administration "To preserve and brush up my basic business knowledge" was an important motivation for Dr Ulf Basting-Neumann MD to attend the extra occupational course of study "Financial Economist" at the Betriebswirtschaftliches Institut & Seminar Basel AG (Basel Institute and Seminar of Business Administration plc) The 41- year old from Lower Saxony had trained as a banker prior to doing a degree in Human Medicine. He spent five years working as a doctor in a leper hospital in Nepal. In April 2008 he obtained his certificate as a Financial Economist (BI) with an average mark of 1.37. The more profound motivation for his further studies is rooted in the area of Controlling, one of the key areas of Business Administration. This area is significant for the control, safeguarding and improvement of the quality of results not only in developing countries but also in Germany. Furthermore, he believes that there is a growing demand for doctors in Germany who are experienced in both Quality Management and Controlling. For many years Dr Basting-Neumann had gained further qualifications in this area prior to going abroad; he had done extra courses in "Medical Quality Management", "Total-Quality-Management (TQM)" and "Economist in Public Health Care" to name but a few examples. Training in Preparation for His Return to Europe The Nepalese managers of the hospital also profited from his Distance Learning Studies. While working in the developing country he passed on what he knew about the commercial background of matters as well as related methods and conveyed an understanding of economic interrelations. "The course of study was designed to refresh my skills which were at the back of my mind and prepare myself for my retrun to Europe," the medic said who had no professional prospects in Germany while studying for his business certificate. Organising Your Time and Work Pace Individually A further advantage was the target-focused method of studying. "We have to be careful not to be paralysed by the flood of information," he said. In his opinion the student should be in a position to filter the subject matter in order to be able to apply the acquired knowledge in a particular situation. According to Basting-Neumann it was easy for him to arrange his studies around his job commitments. One of the main advantages is to be able to study from home. Due to the lack of evening entertainment in Nepal he was able to work through his study files late at night. "However, I did require some peace and quiet to work through the rather compact summaries with the necessary concentration." Leaving the responsibility for their work with the students enables them to arrange their work pace and time schedule as they wish. The doctor said he had subdivided the course of study into various steps in order to allow for the studied subject matter to sink in and to see how it can be applied in practical terms. After his return he took up a position as general practitioner and Quality Manager at an Ambulatory Healthcare Centre at the beginning of the year 2009. Several areas of Business Administration were vital for the smooth running of the centre said Dr Basting-Neumann who works as a medical employee there having assumed responsibilities in the area of Business Administration. If in the end there are at least a few theoretical points that can be applied in reality it was worthwhile delving into the subject matter and dedicating the time to pursuing this course of study. Contact: Dr Ulf Basting-Neumann MD, Lüneburg (D) bastingneumann@gmail.com