The Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) had their state leadership conference in Spokane from March 11-13 at the Davenport Grand Hotel & Spokane Convention Center.
Junior Sofi Traina and senior Gabrielle Palma brought home a first place award for Terrace in forensics.
A total of 93 people, plus several chaperones, drove across I-90 in a school bus for five hours to compete in events they have been studying and practicing for months.
HOSA is a student-led organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, offering to teach students from middle school to college to perform medical techniques and skills at the state competition.
Those who win first, second, and third-place in their events will have the opportunity to compete internationally at Nashville, Tennessee from June 18-21.
HOSA follows the same competitive format as the Technology Student Association (TSA), but instead of covering a wide range of STEM-related topics, HOSA is all about the medical fields of STEM. To go to state, HOSA members had to put in more than 20 hours of studying over several months to be prepared for their events, from medical math to biotechnology to nursing assisting.
For Terrace, science teacher Jami Wollan advises HOSA and takes the members to state, working hard to make sure that all of the forms are processed and caring for every student in the club, going to state or not. However, that doesn’t mean that it is just a free ride for the members.
In the beginning of February, students had to apply their knowledge to a preliminary test, called round one, for their events with 60 to 100 questions. Some people had paragraph questions, some had one or two sentences, but no matter what the question was, students still needed to put in time and effort to study their events.
Following qualifying for round one, students prepare for round two – the state competition. Emergency medical technician (EMT) was the most popular event this year with nine teams, but only one got into state!
State competitors had to show up early to school and be in the HUB at 7 a.m. to board buses by 7:30 a.m., making sure they were packed and ready to go on a long ride across the state with people who worked just as hard as them to be where they are. Right after the bus ride, students competing in National Geographic Learning tests had to test at the Academic Learning Center in the convention center. These tests could range from anatomy and physiology to career development.
HOSA teaches students a wide range of skills to have for future medical professions, not only through having them compete in medical events, but through workshops taking place throughout the day on March 12.
Students could sign up for sessions on the official HOSA State app, Yapp, teaching anything from bleeding control techniques to preparation from medical school to medical laboratory techniques. HOSA isn’t a small organization, it has tons of sponsors that have their own events, like the U.S. military.
Out of the 93 students headed to state, around 30 students made it to Round 2, where they would compete at state. These students competed at specific appointment times on March 12, in events from public service announcement to health career display.
However, every single student had the opportunity to learn more about the healthcare industry through workshops and labs.
“Students are learning skills and knowledge that are specific for jobs in healthcare! Anyone interested in healthcare can join,” Wollan said. “It is a great opportunity to learn about a career before you actually do it!”
All students could also participate in fun social activities, including a hypnotist show and a celebratory dance in the evening.
These activities allowed students from different schools to socialize with each other and make connections based on shared interests in healthcare.
During the closing session and awards ceremony, awards were handed out to the top five students in every competitive event.
Afterwards, students headed to the Chalet Restaurant for lunch, occupying the entire restaurant, before heading home through Leavenworth and Stevens Pass
