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Individuals interested in pursuing a nursing career were invited to learn about UMA’s Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program at a recent nursing open house, held on January 27 at the UMA Tampa campus. The event was open to the public and featured a nursing information session, as well as refreshments, giveaways and a live radio remote with radio personality, Gordie of “The Freakshow” on 94.1 FM.

Dear UMA Students,

Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA) is off to a great start in 2012. The New Year is well underway, with plenty of possibilities, opportunities and challenges in store for each of us. As we look to what lies ahead in 2012, let’s reflect on 2011 – a year of significant growth and accomplishments.

This past year, UMA harnessed the enthusiasm of our students, and the dedication and creativity of our faculty and staff, to add new programs, expand online course offerings and increase our level of student, military and alumni support.

We are continuing to see a high level of interest in healthcare education, which may be due in part to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projections indicating that healthcare will generate an additional 3.2 million jobs between 2008 and 2018 – more than any other industry.* Our instructors and staff remain committed to providing a quality education to all who pursue their academic and career goals at UMA.

We are incredibly proud of our students and graduates, who come from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures, and share one common objective: launching a rewarding career in today’s growing healthcare industry.

In 2011, we hosted two well-attended commencement ceremonies. At each event, hundreds of graduates were awarded healthcare degrees and diplomas. Those interviewed at the graduation ceremonies praised their UMA education, and expressed excitement and eagerness to embark on the next phase of their careers.

On Wednesday, December 7, UMA hosted an open house and charity event at the Tampa Campus. UMA invited students and community members to bring a toy or food item to donate to the Kids Charity of Tampa Bay during the event. Supporting the event was 93.3 WFLZ, who came by and held a live remote from 1-3 pm. The radio station gave away twelve pairs of tickets to the Jingle Ball, a concert featuring Pitbull and David Guetta, during the event: It was a huge success!

Individuals who heard about the open house from the 93.3 radio ads and stopped by were greeted by UMA staff, current students and two Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleaders! The people who came for the open house were able to take a tour provided by the UMA Tampa Admissions staff and saw campus highlights such as UMA’s dental and pharmacy labs, study areas and learned how they could pursue a hands-on medical program and possibly be working in healthcare in under a year, depending on the program.

The charity itself was the grand winner from the event—many students, staff, and other individuals stopped by and donated what they could to help the lives of the less fortunate. Members of the Kids Charity of Tampa Bay came by to say hi to students and thank them for their donations. Silvina Lamoureux, Campus Director at UMA Tampa, said, “Ultimate Medical Academy has a reputation for giving back to the local community. Because our school focuses exclusively on healthcare training and education, our students tend to be the type of people who care about helping others. I hope other members of the community will join us in supporting Kids Charity of Tampa Bay. Through our ‘Food and Toys for Girls and Boys’ charity drive, we can all help give local foster children a happier holiday.”

On Saturday, September 17, Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA) hosted the largest graduation ceremony in its history at the Florida State Fairgrounds. It was attended by more than 1,000 family members and friends of the new graduates.

Approximately 2,300 students completed UMA training and degree programs from January through August 2011. Of those, more than 1,000 were campus based, and nearly 1,300 participated in online learning. 

Steve Kemler, CEO of Ultimate Medical Academy, welcomed students, families, friends and staff to the graduation ceremony. Many of the attendees had traveled great distances for the event, including one student’s family who flew in from Kenya. Addressing the graduates, Mr. Kemler said, “Look around you. There are people from many different backgrounds, from different states, from different countries and from different cultures. But you all share a common bond – a commitment to get ahead, to make a difference, to help others.”

Ann Marie Dinocento, a graduate of UMA’s online Medical Administrative Assistant diploma program, had enthusiastic praise for her healthcare education, echoing the sentiments of other alumni who have shared Ultimate Medical Academy reviews. “My experience at Ultimate Medical Academy has been wonderful. Whenever I needed help, someone was there for me. My Learner Services advisor has been my support, my rock,” Dinocento said. Reflecting on her accomplishment, she remarked, “To be graduating – it’s amazing. It’s a wonderful feeling that I achieved my goal. I am a UMA success story!”

Congratulations graduates!

When you invite a radio celebrity and serve some tasty food, you know an event is going to be good, but what really added to the success of the United Medical Academy (UMA) Back-to-School Open House at the Tampa Campus on September 7, was the opportunity for attendees to learn about the many healthcare programs available at UMA and to ask questions one-on-one with Tampa Campus team members.

Campus Director Ross Bravo, instructors and admissions department staff personally greeted attendees as they arrived and escorted them through the campus, classrooms and labs. They took time to individually address areas of interest and discuss life as a UMA student.

D.J. Stiffy from 94.1 FM co-hosted. His radio crew was on hand and kept things lively by broadcasting top tunes across the campus and handing out tickets to an exclusive J. Cole concert. Attendees enjoyed hot dogs, chips and soda for lunch.

If you missed this exciting event at the UMA Tampa Campus, make sure you stop by our next one!

Going to school online certainly has its perks; the “classroom” is wherever you want it to be, and you are not constrained to a strict time schedule.  Flexibility of time and place are just a few of the benefits for students participating in online learning, but you can go through your entire program without any face-to-face interactions.  This inspired Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA) to host its first ever “Meet and Greet” for its online students on Saturday August 13^th.

This event took place at Whiskey Joe’s Beach Bar in Clearwater, Florida. Students, along with their families, came out to not only meet one another but the Campus Director, Director of Learner Services, Career Services representatives, and other UMA faculty and staff. The students and their families were served food and there were fun giveaways, including t-shirts and beach balls for the children.

Derek Apanovitch, the Campus Director, and Joe Piechura, Director of Learner Services, addressed the crowd with brief speeches, expressing their appreciation for the students’ and the families’ dedication to getting an education.  One student said “ I would like to thank you for inviting me to the Meet and Greet Saturday, I really enjoyed meeting everyone involved in the classes, it made me feel proud to be enrolled in the program.”

Ultimate Medical Academy had a great time getting to know the online students better. It was a great day of meeting, eating, and having fun!

Chris Hawk, family business man turned med-student, discovered an unfulfilled need in his life. Through his travels and volunteer opportunities with Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Honolulu, he became conscious of the fact that he had been fortunate in the life that he led, and realized that not everyone in every country was as blessed as he had been. He felt “compelled to help improve the lives of others; particularly in the education and health fields”.  He became intrigued in the Latino culture and began a long apprenticeship in the Spanish language. He became involved in a foundation known as ICE, (Immerse, Connect, and Evolve). ICE’s goal, which has also become Chris’s, is to help improve the quality of life for the residents of the Galapagos.

Steve Kemler, CEO of UMA, admired Chris for his generosity and compassion and wanted to participate and offer up additional donations in order to support Chris and ICE in their combined goal to improve the lives of the people of the Galapagos. The funds that UMA donated helped to supply equipment and medicines greatly needed to help treat life-threatening infections and illnesses common to this region.  UMA’s donation, along with others, helped Chris gather supplies such as child breathing spacers, blood pressure cuffs, an electric thermometer, and more.

On Chris’s blog he thanks Steve with saying “Thanks largely to a generous donation from Ultimate Medical Academy…I have been able to more than double the amount of donations.” Here at UMA we take great pride in helping others grow in the allied healthcare field because they in turn help the rest of us live a healthy life.

Please visit http://elmedicolatino.blogspot.com/ to follow Chris in his journey!

 

Ultimate Medical Academy held a job fair at A La Carte Pavilion in Town & Country on April 19, 2011 for UMA students and graduates. There were 29 employers present and one table that represented the new UMA department Office of Personal Finance and Alumni Relations (OPFAR). We had over 300 UMA graduates and students bused in from both the Tampa and Clearwater campuses to attend the event.

One employer, Moffitt Cancer Center, was very impressed with the job fair and identified six strong candidates for their open positions. Moffitt will be opening a new hospital on July 1st and is starting to pre-screen 150+ positions (all levels). UMA recently signed an externship agreement with Moffitt, so we are confident that they value our partnership and we will be assisting them with filling these job openings.

JSA Medical Group was another large client that participated in the job fair. They brought 200 applications and were out within hours; UMA was prepared though, and was able to make another 100 copies for our students!

Premiere Center for Cosmetic Surgery, Scherer Staffing, Accessible Home Health, and Suncoast Medical Clinic are a small sample of the attending employers that interviewed students for open healthcare positions. Every one of the employers had opportunities available and handed out applications. UMA had three graduates hired immediately following the job fair and many are still in the interview process; some of the larger clients take longer to complete their interview process. If any UMA student or graduate is looking for more information about employment opportunities, please contact Career Services at 1-877-HIREUMA or visit us online at www.HireUMA.com.

The Office of Personal Finance & Alumni Relations (OPFAR) at Ultimate Medical Academy is pleased to announce the launch of a new website exclusively for UMA former students and alumni – www.alumni.ultimatemedical.edu. The alumni website was created to build a stronger alumni network, promote financial literacy and most importantly, offer ongoing job placement resources to former students. Whether you have questions about your student loan repayment information, need sound budgeting advice, are looking for resume and cover letter templates, or need the dates for upcoming career fairs, you can find answers to all of your questions there. We hope that you find this website to be a one-stop resource for all of your needs as a UMA alumnus. If you can’t find the answer to any of your questions or need help, don’t hesitate to give our professional alumni team a call at 888-205-2170. We wish you great success!

“I call upon the people of the United States to honor military spouses with appropriate ceremonies and activities,” stated President Obama, in proclaiming May 6 as Military Spouse Appreciation Day. “Across America and around the world, military spouses serve our country in their own special way, helping families and friends through the stress of a deployment, caring for our wounded warriors, and supporting each other when a loved one has made the ultimate sacrifice. Troops and their spouses seldom ask for support or recognition, and carry out their duties with the quiet courage and strength that has always exemplified the American spirit,” the president wrote. Read the whole story here: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/05/military-spouse-day-obama-050611w/

The day was first proclaimed in 1984 by President Reagan, and is traditionally set for the Friday before Mother’s Day.

Ultimate Medical Academy recognizes the United States military spouses and wants to thank them personally for supporting active and retired military personnel. At UMA, we can accommodate your military lifestyle with flexible online Associate programs designed specifically to address the growing needs of today's healthcare industry. Our programs can prepare you to take advantage of career opportunities throughout the healthcare field; you can complete your Associate degree in less than 15 months! Find more information here: http://www.ultimatemedical.edu/military-friendly.