According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2022 14.7 million people were employed in the medical field, making it the fastest growing sector of the US economy. With the constant evolution of medical technology and practices, the medical field will only expand its reach in the coming years, raising the demand for healthcare workers exponentially. Luckily, clubs such as Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) allow students who are interested in pursuing a career in healthcare to get involved in the field before they even graduate high school.
Having access to a club such as HOSA is extremely beneficial to students interested in health science because it allows them to explore the various aspects of the medical field and can help them figure out where their passions lie.
“I joined HOSA because since ninth grade I’ve been taking health related courses like medical terminology and principles of health science,” senior and HOSA president Param Bajaj said. “I built up that passion in biology and I knew I wanted to go into medicine so I needed a club that would help support my career goals because going into medicine is really difficult. HOSA also helps me reach out to healthcare professionals at the leadership conferences that we have, and I get real life experience and information from them.”
Through HOSA students have the opportunity to compete in a variety of competitions, encompassing nearly every aspect of the medical field. Students are given the choice of what they compete in and considering how they place they have the potential to compete at the state and national levels.
“I believe there’s over 100 [categories] that you can compete in,” Senior Sam Bui said. “Most of them are team events, but there are a few single events. [When we choose our events] it’s first come first serve, but officers get first priority then seniors, juniors, and so on.”
However, although there is a lot of emphasis put on the competitive side of HOSA, students also get to participate in other activities, such as meeting with real medical professionals to learn more about what they do.
“There are sometimes Zoom meetings with healthcare professionals that give you information on what type of duties you [would] have to.” Senior Brad Le said.
Although a club like HOSA can give members an extra workload outside of their classes and other extracurriculars, it also gives them the chance to make lasting memories with their teammates and friends.
“Recently we started a new tradition where we would go and play mini golf before state and nationals. So starting in 10th grade when we went out for three days for state, my team and the HOSA advisor, Miss Black, played mini golf. And it was so fun. I’m hoping we get to continue that tradition even when I’m gone and Miss Black continues it, just for fun.”
Like any club, HOSA offers students the chance to not only connect with professionals in the desired field of study but with other high school students who share similar passions and goals to themselves.
“Really anyone can join HOSA,” Bui said. “You can make new friends, see other people’s competitions and kind of collaborate with each other on certain aspects of healthcare that you like.”
Statistics source: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/healthcare/default.html#:~:text=Healthcare%20is%20the%20fastest%2Dgrowing,in%2010%20workers%20were%20women
