Every other Thursday in Room 3311, a motivated group of students who are united by one similar interest, meet together to hold a club meeting. These students all aspire to one day enter the healthcare industry and are taking their first steps in high school in order to accomplish their goals. 

The club that these students are apart of is called “Health Occupations Students of America” or HOSA. In order to join the club, students must be enrolled or have been previously enrolled in a health science class. The HOSA chapter currently has 70 members and is run by officers Noah Krivi, Vivianna Castillo, Hira Qazi, Katherine Zhao and Hussain Zammam. In HOSA, students get to participate in community events, competitions and get to meet other students who share the same interests as they do. 

“HOSA has allowed me to get to know my peers with a similar interest in the medical field,” HOSA vice president Viviana Castillo said. “I also enjoy it because being a senior now, it’s nice to see all these younger kids who have such a passion for their future. Not many people our age understand what they want to do in life, but here is this group of amazing students who know what they want to do and enjoy learning about the different careers in the health industry.”

At club meetings, students get to listen to guest speakers who have experience in the health industry and have the opportunity to ask questions. Past speakers include alumni enrolled in medical school, a professor at Sam Houston State University, physicians and nurses. Students also get to learn about the other activities HOSA offers. 

“HOSA has an adopted mile path in Shadowbend Park that we keep clean,” club sponsor Dr. Wood said. “We also host the blood drive here at school. Students have the opportunity to volunteer for these events along with events held at local schools.” 

Along with volunteering, students have the opportunity to compete in over 45 different categories. The five main areas of competition are Health Science Events, Health Professions Events, Emergency Preparedness Events, Leadership Events and Team Work Events. Examples of categories students can compete in are clinical nursing, sports medicine, pathophysiology, health education, or medical innovation. To prepare for their competition, students research the industry, conduct interviews, write papers, or work on practice tests. All of these skills help prepare students for college and possibly medical school. 

“For anyone potentially interested in pursuing a career in the medical field, they should join HOSA and get the opportunity to learn more about the industry and be able to spend time with like-minded people,” HOSA historian Katherine Zhao said.