In just a dozen years, Dade Medical Institute has grown from a start-up educational facility in Miami to accredited Dade Medical College with four campuses in the Miami area. And a fifth one on the way.
Co-founded by CEO Ernesto Perez, Jr. in 1999, Dade Medical was recognized as a college six years ago. Perez said the idea for the school came from when he was originally selling diagnostic medical ultrasounds. "A lot of the folks who purchased our equipment wanted to receive training. So we actually started out as an ultrasound school, and then it evolved from there."It has evolved so much that Dade Medical College now consists of four campuses – Miami, Hialeah, Homestead and Hollywood; and Perez believes the key is simply what the college provides: "We offer quality education in health care and a wide array of programs, including nursing, diagnostic medical ultrasounds, echocardiography, and X-ray. And we offer it with a personal touch; our students are never a number."
Offering quality education and a variety of programs is a good start, but many graduates with degrees in other fields remain unemployed. That is one of the advantages of Dade Medical College. As Perez explained, "We’ve had great success in training our kids. We’re outcome-based, where we walk our students not just through their education, but through the whole certification process as well. In an unsure world, it gives them, at minimum, optimal possibilities of success in their chosen field."
So who are the students? Perez said the demographics are quite wide. "Whereas in the early days our students were composed of more working adults, now we get a lot who come right out of high school. No longer is our school a secondary choice. When you have someone who graduates say, with an associate degree in English, that doesn’t guarantee them much of a career. However, if you have a nursing student or an ultrasound student in this two-year program, their associate degree – once they pass their certification – gives them a good chance of landing a job that will pay them $45,000 to $55,000 a year." (Perez pointed out that those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.)
"So when you add up what you’re getting at a career college such as ours, compared with what you might be getting at a community college just for a general education or an arts education, I think people are making a conscious decision to walk away with something that can actually put some food on the table."
The four campuses currently have about 1800 students and employ approximately 400 people. And the college continues to expand. In the fall, Dade Medical College will relocate its Hialeah campus to Miami Lakes. "We’re really excited about moving. We did everything possible to stay in Hialeah, but we couldn’t find a suitable site. And the city of Miami Lakes has been very welcoming." Perez said the 40,000 sq. ft. campus will contain plenty of parking and many student amenities. "The building is a much better location for the students and we’re confident that they’re going to be very comfortable there." It will be situated closer to the Palmetto Expressway, providing easier access.
Did Perez expect this type of growth a decade ago? "No," he admits, "but we’re very grateful for it. And it was foreseeable during these economic times that are challenging. You could see that a lot of folks were transitioning out of real estate, out of banking, and looking for something that gives them the possibility to be able to join the workforce in what’s considered a relatively consistent and steady job demand in this market.’
He emphasized, however, that "we don’t want to grow for the sake of growing. We just want to be sure we’re providing a quality education to the community. We check out what’s going on in the health care community, and we try to fulfill that need. So the market pretty much determines what programs we offer."
Perez said he thanks Miami Lakes Mayor Michael Pizzi for "accommodating us with open arms. We look forward to many years of mutual growth and prosperity there, and educating the community." The next campus is scheduled to be launched in the first quarter of next year at the Shops at Cresthaven in Palm Beach, where Perez has already signed a lease for a 40,000 sq. ft. facility.
