Blog Discussion

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.

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.

On the one year anniversary of President Obama’s milestone healthcare bill (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act), House Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi, shares her thoughts on the positive impact the bill has made and will continue to make on job growth, job opportunities and overall quality of life for middle class Americans:

What are your thoughts on the healthcare reform act now that it has been in place for a year? What is your hope for the future of healthcare and the impacts it’ll make on your career and in your life?

On Saturday, March 12, 2011 Ultimate Medical Academy packed up a few students, faculty, and admissions advisors and headed to 94.1’s Wild Splash in Coachman Park in downtown Clearwater, FL. UMA sponsored a healthcare tent at the outdoor concert event of the year, which featured performers Keri Hilson, Pittsburgh native Wiz Khalifa, and the one and only Snoop Dogg!

The crowd came ready to listen to good music and dance in the sun, and UMA was there to make sure that everyone knew about our school and how to stay healthy. UMA students gave personal health screenings to concert goers, faculty explained what to expect in class, and the UMA admissions team described the 11 hands-on programs that UMA offers.

As the sun went down on the festive mass, the crowd hushed for a moment, and Snoop walked out slowly with a Tampa Bay Rays jersey on. Then, the DJ dropped the beat and everyone started waving their hands high, as Snoop gave people a performance to remember. Thanks to everyone that came out and supported UMA at this fun (and healthy) event!

With so much on our plates, it is easy to lose track of time. The question is: are we using time for things that truly add value to our lives? Or are we trashing our time?

Identify YOUR time-bandits, the habits that are stealing time from activities that could be adding value to your life. For example, do you spend too much time surfing the web, watching TV, playing computer games, or talking on the phone?

Now you try it:

1. Look at how you spent your time yesterday, and estimate how much time you spent on activities that are not helping you achieve your goals.
2. For the next week, try to spend half of the time you normally would on these activities. With your extra time, commit to doing things that will help improve your life in the long term – for example, doing homework or making a budget.
3. Share your plan and results with your classmates on Facebook, here.

You can find a handy tool to help you with this exercise in TBLS Book 2 (pages 216 and 217). You can also contact your Learner Services Advisor if you have any questions on time management.