Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA) is one of the most popular clubs students take part in at school. Focused around a career in healthcare, members are presented with many learning opportunities that they would not get otherwise. This club also presents members the chance to take their skills competitively as an individual or with a group.
38 members of HOSA have perfected their craft enough to move on to the state competition in Rolla. Senior HOSA president Summer Weems made it to state in the category of Community Awareness.
“Groups have to create a topic and share it with their town. Then, they will share how they impacted the community with the judges,” Weems said.
However, that is not the only way members made it to state. The healthcare field is broad, which is why there are many categories students can choose to compete in. From biomedical debate to dental terminology, there is something for every future healthcare professional. Every topic is challenging in its own way and requires extensive knowledge and work.
“My group and I presented around our community to spread awareness about down syndrome. Now, we will gather our pictures and data from presenting and add it to our speech for the judges. For our presentation, we will present to three judges in a secluded room,” Weems said.
Along with competing, members get to spend time with and support their friends while at competitions.
“We will be at Rolla’s highschool for two days cheering on everyone competing,” Weems said.
The goal of the state competition is to advance onto the national competition in Texas. There, the competition would be much bigger and members would compete with other people interested in the medical field from all around the country. However, the ultimate goal of this club is to gain knowledge, practice skills, and prepare students for their future career.
“I’ve learned a lot from being in HOSA and competing with people across the world. I am able to take a deeper look into each career in the medical field, make relationships with people I could be working with in the future, and make memories along the way,” Weems said.
