Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) is bringing a new and exciting opportunity to LHS for students interested in healthcare. Founded by juniors Kaitlin Manion, Malavika Syam Jayan, and Zaynab Diop, the club gives students a fun, competitive way to learn real health skills and work with others who share the same passion.
HOSA is a nationwide organization with chapters in schools all across the U.S. With the lack of healthcare related classes and clubs, HOSA brings new opportunities to LHS students who want explore healthcare,
“We brought HOSA to LHS because there’s not a lot of club options for people that want to go into premed/healthcare,” Manion said. “Even if you don’t want to go to med school, it’s still good for your undergrad degrees.”
HOSA, which has a similar format to Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), allows students to participate in competitions in their chosen fields. These competitions consist of quizzes and tests on the healthcare field you choose. Being a winner of some of these contests gives you the chance to obtain scholarships, networking opportunities, awards, and improved skills. Participating in these events encourages the student to study for their chosen field, which helps them gain knowledge in a fun way.
The club will also cover less-heralded healthcare professions such as dietitians, psychologists, social workers and more. HOSA allows for exploration in all the various fields in the industry,
“It can be medical doctors [and] nurses to even EMTs and athletic Trainers,” said advisor Beth Bedrossian, who co-advises with Graham Souness. “HOSA gives you the chance to explore any avenue in the health care industry. I was actually amazed at all of the available options for students to study and explore!”
“Our goal for the club this year is to really just get a good foundation,” Manion said. “We want to compete in the state competitions in March this year. We want to give everyone a solid foundation on healthcare and sciences our advisors are gonna help with labs and other things as needed”
A club meeting would usually consist of preparing for competitions, studying for chosen fields, participating in labs, etc. The first club meeting is Tuesday, October 14 in the health room. Email the advisors with any questions.
