Spark 2026 Recap: Lessons Learned from Healthcare Employers and UMA Grads

Key Insights:

• The 2026 Spark Summit provided valuable insights from both Ultimate Medical Academy's (UMA's) employer-partners and recent grads from our healthcare programs.
• Healthcare employer panel members shared that their top workforce priorities included developing talent pipelines and improving hiring efficiency, while facing challenges related to job candidate competitiveness and maintaining hiring quality. They added that UMA has been a valuable partner in streamlining the hiring process, and they enjoy the live candidate tracker and open communication that exists with UMA's talent acquisition team.
• All of the UMA graduate panel members had very personal experiences that led them to pursue an education in healthcare. They displayed a deeply rooted desire to help others and indicated that UMA helped prepare them for their new roles. They also said they look forward to advancing their education and career, which, for some, included nurturing future UMA grads.
• UMA's Career Services team connects healthcare employers with knowledgeable entry-level talent that's ready from day one, at no cost. We focus on finding candidates who could be a good fit for the role and the organization, streamlining the interview and hiring process so employers can get the help they need and graduates can enter a field they're passionate about.

April 22, 2026, marked the end of the 11th Annual Spark Summit, a three-day event hosted by Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA). This event offers healthcare leaders from across the country the opportunity to build and strengthen partnerships, explore practical workforce solutions, and brainstorm strategies to take their teams — and patient care — to the next level.

Worker retention, recruitment, and patient-centered care are pillar topics at Spark events. In 2026, we also discussed several other topics that are important in healthcare today, such as ways to leverage technology and AI without losing human connection, approaches for effectively managing both change and risk, and strategies for developing a future-forward workforce.

Two panel discussions at this year's Spark provided unique perspectives and thoughtful insight: one involved several of our employer partners, and the other with accomplished UMA grads.

Healthcare Employers Talk About Top Workforce Challenges, Priorities, What Lies Ahead, and How UMA Helps

Participants in the Spark 2026 partner panel discussion were Christy Clark, Sr. Manager of TA Strategy at ResultsCX; Anthony Branch, Talent Acquisition Specialist at Octapharma Plasma; and Maxime Côté-Tremblay, VP of Operations at Foundever. It was moderated by Erik Nelson, Partner, Workforce Solutions at UMA, and Tim Ehlinger, our Strategic Relationship Partner.

Here's what we learned:

• Top priorities for 2026 included scaling company growth while maintaining workforce quality, reducing time to fill, improving hire efficiency, developing talent pipelines, and improving the customer experience.
• Top workforce challenges discussed by these leaders included job candidate competitiveness, new-hire competency and proficiency, high expectations for applicants' skill levels, filling open positions with speed and efficiency, and maintaining quality hiring practices.
• The next big trends in healthcare they anticipate include more technology usage, digital integration that requires higher skill and competency levels, and the need for new ways for providers and patients to access care.
• Reasons they like working with UMA include weekly meetings, live candidate trackers, hiring profiles, transparency and communication from the start, being able to problem-solve together, and UMA collaborating like an extension of the company's hiring team.
• UMA has been a good talent acquisition partner because its team handles the interview process with the partner's best interests in mind. It also has the same level of accountability, drive, and energy as internal recruiters, and UMA understands its employer partners' goals and needs. The partners also indicated that they have received positive feedback on placements.
• Things they wish they had known earlier about working with UMA include how much "heavy lifting" UMA does when sourcing candidates and how much better the solution is when partners are open and transparent.

UMA Grads Have Passion, Grit, and Optimism About Tomorrow

Another eye-opening panel discussion held during Spark 2026 focused on the journeys of three UMA grads: Jada Clanton (a mother of two and soon-to-be Medical Assistant program graduate from our Clearwater Campus), Jamie Outlaw (a previous preschool teacher who graduated from UMA's EMT program at UMA Online), and Kemmie Weatherspoon (a UMA Online Health and Human Services graduate). This conversation, titled "Imagine Care Without Them," was moderated by Krista Numbers, Director of Public Relations for Vocate Education Solutions.

Here's what we learned:

• Personal experiences inspired them all to pursue a healthcare career path. Jada shared that her father's declining health inspired her to want to learn more about this field so she would never feel helpless again. Kemmie was a caretaker for his first wife after she fell ill, and he wanted to be part of the care process so he could help others involved in these types of situations. Jamie's mother used to be an EMT, so she was inspired by the same passion and desire to provide care for others.
• Reasons they chose UMA included that this school was referred to them by others, and they wanted to be a part of a community that was excited about doing this type of work. Panel members also stated that UMA offered the healthcare programs they wanted, and they liked that it had partnerships with local health organizations.
• What helped them stick to their academic journey included wanting to do more for people in need, access to support when times get tough, and instructors who care. The grads indicated that they felt prepared for the transition into healthcare, appreciated instructor feedback, and valued the opportunity to gain experience and practice their skills while in school.
• When given some "brag time" about their accomplishments, Jamie talked about a call that she went on near the end of her schooling, and because she and her partner were able to immediately understand that the patient was having a heart attack, they got him the care he needed, and he survived. Kemmie shared that, as one of 10 siblings, he has been the only one who has graduated. Jada indicated that she felt proud of herself for getting through schooling with the obstacles she faced as a working mom with few friends to support her at the beginning of her journey.
• What they are most excited about next includes continued education and career growth, along with advocating for future healthcare professionals, which, for some, includes being there for future UMA grads.

A Look Ahead at Spark 2027

While next year's event is still in the planning stages, workforce retention, recruitment, and quality patient care remain important topics for these events. We hope that you'll pencil this time into your calendar in 2027 to participate in these enlightening conversations with healthcare leaders, learning from each other so we can create a future-forward workforce.

If you don't currently partner with UMA, check out our talent acquisition services. We help connect healthcare employers with skilled candidates who are job-ready from day one, at no cost. Contact us and let us know how we can help you.

FAQs

What types of healthcare positions can UMA help employers fill? Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA) offers programs in medical billing and coding, medical assistant, health and human services, pharmacy tech, and several others. Our talent acquisition team can connect you with graduates from these allied health programs who may be a good fit for your organization and are ready to perform their job duties from day one. Contact us to discuss how we can help you.

Why should I attend the Spark Summit? Spark Summits offer the opportunity to connect with other healthcare leaders and learn how they are solving common workforce challenges, along with sharing strategies that you've used that may help someone else. These events are filled with inspiration and optimism as we all work toward one common goal: developing a strong, resilient healthcare workforce that is prepared to meet the demands and expectations both today and tomorrow.

Where is the Spark Summit held? The Spark Summit is generally held in the Tampa Bay area. Contact us to receive notification of next year's event.