UNK’s MBA provides Troy Bruntz McCook hospital President and CEO more than expected

“I don't want to say I was just trying to get the MBA because my board made me get my MBA, but that was the main reason why I got my MBA,” said Troy Bruntz, 2022 University of Nebraska at Kearney MBA alumnus. “I was surprised with what I really didn't know until I started taking all the courses.” 
 
Bruntz worked 13 years as the Community Hospital chief financial officer in McCook. He received his bachelor's degree in accounting from UNK and is a Certified Public Accountant, which at the time he thought was enough education. 
 
However, when the board of the hospital approached Bruntz about becoming the President and CEO of the hospital, they had one requirement, he must complete his MBA.  
 
Bruntz decided to return to his alma mater to comply with the board's requests. 
 
“You would think it was because I went there for my undergrad, but it's not...I chose UNK because it felt like it was going to give me the best value,” he said. “I never did it for the degree, I did it to learn, and I felt like I did.” 
 
Since Bruntz’s position was directly related to the medical field, UNK’s MBA allowed him to complete some of his elective courses at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. 
 
Beyond the program providing flexibility to focus on his career interests, Bruntz was impressed with how relatable the course content was to his daily work as the President and CEO of a hospital. 
 
“Strategic planning is everything I do,” he said. “We've incorporated a lot of things that I've learned in various classes in our strategic planning process.” 
 
One of those strategic initiatives is to encourage medical professionals to work in rural hospitals and clinics.  
 
According to U.S. News & World Report, nearly 200 rural hospitals have closed their doors since 2005, affecting more than 60 million Americans. Bruntz hopes collaboration with his alma mater can help combat this issue.

 
 
In September, Bruntz attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the UNK-UNMC Rural Health Education Building.
 
He hopes that this innovative facility will allow students to complete clinical rotations at his hospital and encourage young medical professionals to stay rural when searching for professional careers. 
 
“There are a lot of people who want rural, they’re from rural, but they end up going to college in a community like Omaha and they never really get out of there,” Bruntz told UNK News earlier this year. “But if they can train and do their schooling in a community like Kearney, there’s a lot better chance that we could hold onto them in a rural community.”