HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) is an organization which strives to provide students with a dynamic, hands on learning experience for people who want to pursue a career in the medical field. HOSA is primarily a student led organization which provides students with an amazing chance to learn leadership skills. The students plan events, participate in many conferences and competitions, and get to meet professionals in the medical field. 

“It’s a mix of every healthcare field you could think of,” stated Rita Dallal, secretary of  Ridge HOSA.

Dallal has been in HOSA for the past 3 years and after attending many leadership conferences and competitions, she ran to become a secretary and won. She really enjoys being a part of HOSA and is very excited to be a Student Secretary for the organization.

“I have volunteered a lot with HOSA, a lot in the past 3 years that I’ve been here and then this year I did a lot of medical scholarships over the summer,” Dallal stated.

She participated in a 2 week TGen science leadership academy which focused on the leadership skills of each student. She also did the Midwestern Healthcare careers institute which just made her see all the different career types in the medical industry. 

 “I was just really excited to join and put more effort into HOSA. Then I just ran for secretary and a lot of people voted,”  Dallal stated.

  HOSA might not be mentioned as often as some of the larger clubs on campus due to the smaller target audience. HOSA caters to students in PLTW (Project Lead The Way), a 4 course STEM Science program on campus that puts students in the role of a biomedical professional as they conduct various hands on labs looking to enhance the students learning career as well as students in Biomedical science courses, which is offered to all grades by Mrs. Rodgers and Mr. Baumstark.

“This club is very specific to the students in the PLTW program and that makes it very inclusive I feel like, and that’s why it’s really not mentioned as much,” Dallal stated.

The organization also offers a variety of conferences and competitions that members can participate in. They have online testing to get into competitions in January, and then state level competitions in April. They even have  had a few students qualify for international competitions, but sadly couldn’t go due to their schedules. Participating in these competitions and conferences can benefit students in a variety of ways.

“Each level of conference assists those students in building confidence and time management and building their network of peers and professionals that can help them in the future,” Rodgers stated. 

These programs are a privilege to students who are able to take it, which is why those who are eligible for HOSA should take advantage of it. The outcome of participating in the organization is very valuable skills that could be used in college and beyond.

“The students that become actively involved learn and get better at public speaking because we go out to theatre schools and do stem nights. This all organized by the students so they’re also learning leadership skills,” Rodgers states. “Students that compete in the competitions have the opportunity to meet people from different schools and also learn how to prepare for these competitions, they do professional dress, which are all things that will help them in their college careers.”

HOSA and its student officers are planning on making it’s meetings a lot more interactive.

“This year our officers are really focused on making the meetings a little more hands on; at least having every other meeting be some kind of interactive thing for the students,” Rodgers stated.

This new approach to HOSA’s meetings will definitely provide a unique hands on experience for its members.

So what are you waiting for? If you’re in any Biomedical science class or just have a love for medical sciences, you should join HOSA. 

“I just think it’s a great organization, and just like everything else on campus we have a lot of amazing things for students to participate in, and I hope that everyone finds something that peaks their interests,” Rodgers states.