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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!

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.

At Ultimate Medical Academy, we measure our success by our student’s success. Testimonials and success stories from current students and alumni are what continue to inspire new students to continue their education at UMA and motivate our faculty and staff to come into work each day. Given the importance that we place on these testimonials, we recently added a new feature on our website to collect online reviews from current UMA students, alumni, faculty, staff and employers. Go to http://www.ultimatemedical.edu/uma-reviews or click on “UMA Reviews” on the left side-bar to share your review with us and let your voice be heard! Whether good or bad, we appreciate your feedback as we continuously strive to improve our school and match the needs of our students and employers to our program offerings and student support services. In addition, we recently added a new Facebook Application to our Facebook Fan Page. This new app allows fans to post and share reviews with other fans and friends conveniently within Facebook. It also allows you to include a star rating for each post. Go to http://www.facebook.com/umaonline?v=app_6261817190 and be one of the first to post your review! Lastly, if you haven’t already seen our videos on YouTube, there are over 30 online video reviews at www.youtube.com/ultimatemedical.

As the marketing coordinator for UMA Online, I had the opportunity to spend some time with the UMA Online faculty while they were enjoying their Summit here in Tampa Bay back in September.

Our teachers looked they were having a great time, especially during the team building exercise. It involved giant beach balls, lots of hollering, and an important lesson learned at the end: student success is hard to keep up, if there are a lot of other distractions in the way.

If you’ve ever been to a conference, you know what a great way it is to re-charge your passion for your career. I think our faculty was definitely feeling great after this year’s summit.

Here is what one of our teachers had to say about teaching for UMA Online and what she hoped her impact would be on her students:

This year, St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, received two “big check” donations from UMA.

UMA students worked hard to raise the donations, selling tasty baked goods, big “Cancer Sucks!” pins, and the privilege of wearing jeans to class—anything to get out of scrubs!

“UMA, together with our students, is happy to support St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital and the great work they are doing,” said Steve Kemler, UMA’s CEO.

Our students’ did some great work, too! They raised a total of $3,000, making UMA’s total donation to St. Joseph’s an impressive $6,000 – we matched their funds. A few stand-out students from the Tampa and Clearwater campuses were also allowed to be present during the donation ceremony at the hospital.

Linda Weldon, UMA’s VP of Community Relations, said, “One of our students was so moved by the work they done, he said, ‘This is where I want to work!’”
 

Welcome to the first post on the new Ultimate Medical Academy Blog. Please stop by often, because we have some big plans. In the coming weeks and months, you’ll find ...

Up-to-the-minute information about all things UMA! This blog is your destination for news about the school. You’ll find posts from career services, student services, and more. And fun things too, like profiles of your favorite instructors, recent graduates, and all the great people who contribute to the school.