It is now widely accepted that socioeconomic issues like food, housing, transportation, and more, directly drive health outcomes in the U.S. These issues hinder access to quality healthcare, and create obstacles to education and stable employment. In the former context, they are often referred to as the Social Determinants of Health. In the latter context, we might consider them the Social Determinants of Success.
One organization that sees it this way is Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA) – a nonprofit healthcare educational institution based in Clearwater, Florida. UMA has instituted what it calls a “culture of care”. That means they are fully committed to addressing the socioeconomic issues that make it difficult for students to apply, attend, and learn at their schools. UMA is committed to providing the support its students need to thrive inside and outside of school.
The culture of care is grounded in a commitment to diversity, community development, and a lifetime of support pledge to every student.
They do this, of course, because it is the right thing to do. But it is also perfect for business! Good for their business as the word of mouth from past students becomes a powerful recruiting tool. And good for the business of health care too. After all, their students will know firsthand the value of receiving this type of support and they will bring it into the healthcare workforce with them. Who better to fix our SDOH issues than those who have already overcome them?
We discuss this, and much more with Rebecca Sarlo, Associate Vice President, and Director of Ultimate Medical Academy’s Clearwater Campus where she oversees both the academic and operational functions at the campus.
Dr. Rebecca Sarlo
Dr. Rebecca Sarlo was named Associate Vice President and Director of Ultimate Medical Academy’s Clearwater Campus in July 2020 where she oversees both the academic and operational functions at the campus in Clearwater, Florida.
Dr. Sarlo joined UMA in 2013 as Dean of Institutional Effectiveness where she led the creation of the Online Campus and Clearwater Campus program effectiveness plans and supported data-based problem solving. She also oversaw the institution’s advisory boards and multi-tiered student intervention services.
Prior to UMA, Dr. Sarlo worked for the Florida Department of Education. There she directed secondary school improvement efforts and led the development and implementation of Florida’s Secondary School Problem Solving/Response to Intervention framework to improve Florida’s highest-risk middle and high schools.
Dr. Sarlo is an author and sought-after national speaker on topics including school improvement, student engagement, early warning systems, and the delivery of effective multi-tiered student intervention services. She earned her Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of South Florida College of Education.
Ultimate Medical Academy
Ultimate Medical Academy is a nonprofit healthcare educational institution with a national presence. For over 28 years, we’ve offered a comprehensive, accredited healthcare education. With more than 75,000 alumni, we are institutionally accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). We offer content-rich, interactive online courses to approximately 10,000 students as well as campus-based training to hundreds of students.
Learn more: https://www.ultimatemedical.edu/
Related Episodes
Episode 190: Modernizing Medical Training with VR and AR – Dr. Ryan Ribeira
You can also find this episode on your favorite podcast network such as:
Trying to drive change within your healthcare organization? Launching a new product? Having trouble getting decision-makers’ attention and buy-in?
We’ll help you understand the whole picture so that you can align your innovation with the things decision-makers care about. And then we’ll help you execute It’s not easy, but it’s possible and we’ll help you get there. Sign up here and we’ll keep you up to date on healthcare industry news with podcasts, blog posts, conference announcements and more. No fluff. No hype. Just the valuable (and often not-so-obvious) information you need to get things done.
The #HCBiz Show! is produced by Glide Health IT, LLC in partnership with Netspective Media.
Music by StudioEtar