Arav Neroth

At CP night that occurred Jan. 30, treasurer and senior Tiffany Lam on the right spent the evening introducing HOSA to potentially interested in joining students. ““This year they updated their guidelines and what they’re looking for,” Lam said. “We were surprised but I think it’s a good thing that they updated it because some of the stuff was a little bit more outdated. Last year when I was preparing I did a lot of textbook studying which I kind of regretted when the competition came. Now I’m doing a lot more physical and hands-on practice which is a lot more beneficial and for skills that can be used in real life.” Photo by Arav Neroth

Textbooks jam-packed with information, deep-dive searches across the internet and skills drilled into their minds: HOSA competition members are eagerly taking the steps to do their best.

For students who dream of taking care of people or researching until they’ve discovered the next big breakthrough in medicine, HOSA, or Health Occupations Students of America, is here to help them make the educational strides they dream of taking.

HOSA is a club for students who are interested in pursuing a career in healthcare or otherwise interested in the industry. The Spring Leadership Conference, a competition today in San Antonio, is an opportunity for students to compete and practice their skills hands-on.

“[Competing is] definitely stressful and exciting,” treasurer and senior Tiffany Lam said. “It’s really fun as well because we get to see other people, not necessarily in the same event, but we can see them also putting in the same work and dedication to something that we all enjoy in healthcare. It’s fun going on a field trip together especially because this year we get to stay overnight in San Antonio and last year we didn’t. I feel like it’s going to be more focused and nerve-racking, but fun, especially because I procrastinated. I wouldn’t say I feel rushed, just that I wish I started earlier.”

In order to compete in the Spring Leadership Conference, students had to pass through the first round which was in the form of an online test in early November. Students may choose from 56 different events, with one to six people in each group depending on the event.

“I think our teams have done really well to prepare for themselves,” sponsor Amy Buffington said. “They’ve been studying, practicing and they’ve done a lot of research. I think that they’re really prepared and I’m hoping that they do really well. We’re always here to support them if they need help getting resources or need help with practicing their skills. Ms. Spinelli and I always have an open-door policy so if they need to ask us some questions or if we can help them in any way we always try to be available.”

After advancing through this round, members can move onto state and then to internationals. Secretary and junior Dhruvi Desai placed fourth last year, which is only one place away from making it to state.

“We’re not the biggest HOSA chapter and we don’t have a ton of members competing regularly and getting resources is kind of difficult,” Desai said. “Our school doesn’t carry micro-pipettes which almost all of the skills utilize, but if I went to some other school like LASA they carry them and they even have classes that teach them how to use them. We also don’t have the textbook and we have limited resources, so it does provide a challenge when you first start out. If you really dive deep into it and commit and search things up on the internet then you’ll definitely find skills and will be able to do well.”

Besides the competition, HOSA also does a variety of socials, volunteering and occasionally a speaker comes in to talk about their work. According to Desai, the volunteering opportunities help students learn more about the working environment  in healthcare.

“This is something that I want to pursue,” Lam said. “I joined HOSA during my sophomore year and I didn’t really realize what I was getting myself into. I was more like dipping my toes and I didn’t compete but these past years I’ve really wanted to be more involved with HOSA. Now I’m an officer, I’m competing and I’m helping others find things that they want to compete in. I often see myself applying these skills I learn in HOSA and my other healthcare classes in the future whether or not I pursue the career that I want to pursue in medicine. It’s just really fun to be able to see people and myself use these skills in real life.”

As treasurer, Lam said that her role is not a one-person job and she enjoys discussing back and forth with the other board members. The tight-knit team often votes on decisions related to finances and spending money.

“I joined [HOSA] because I’ve always been into healthcare and I knew that I was definitely interested,” Desai said. “While you get a lot out of just being a member, I feel like being in a competition really helps you to better develop your medical skills. I knew that I wanted to take the opportunity to compete and further develop my skills. I competed in [Biotechnology] for the first time because it was a new event that opened last year and I loved it so I decided to keep doing it.”

In addition to being a HOSA sponsor alongside health science teacher Robin Spinelli, Buffington also teaches health science, kinesiology, principles of health science and medical terminology. 

“It’s only my second year teaching but I love being a part of HOSA,” Buffington said. “Seeing kids that are so innovative and creative and getting to see that side of them instead of just the academic side is a lot of fun. I think the biggest challenge is just learning all the guidelines and the different rules and how everything runs, especially because it’s new to a lot of us.”

Lam said that both she and her partner have been practicing different scenarios during DEN that might show up in the competition repeatedly in order to prepare. 

“For people who are afraid to compete or to do anything that could result in failure or rejection, I’d say just do it,” Lam said. “I was really afraid of competing in my sophomore year because of that. I felt very nervous and unguided, but junior year I decided to step up and try to think ‘It’s O.K. if I do poorly because at least I learned something.’ I actually ended up really enjoying it and I came back and did it again this year. I see other people like freshmen and sophomores who are willing to compete this year so I’m really happy for them. Even if they don’t make it I see them willing to try again next year and learning from what they didn’t know before. There’s always something to learn in HOSA and it’s great to take steps towards the uncertainty in anything.”