For students with an interest in careers correlated to healthcare and medicine, Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) can be more than a club; it can give real world preparation. At ‘Tangy, HOSA lets students have the opportunity to explore the medical field through competitive events, tested events, community service and other activities. From the inside and outside works of healthcare, the program gives students the ability to use their skills early on, which reflects on future real-life scenarios and interests. As students advance to state and national competitions, HOSA helps build confidence, professionalism and a branch to see what they are interested in. For students who aspire to go into healthcare, the club is an important first step towards this.
“HOSA provides students opportunities to build college and career readiness skills, builds healthcare related skills and confidence through teamwork and leadership with competitions, provides opportunities to network with healthcare professionals and allows for career exploration into different areas of the healthcare field,” HOSA adviser Jane Norris said.
Norris emphasizes how HOSA can prepare students for life beyond high school which mixes academics and the real-world. With teamwork, leadership and competitions, students can build confidence as they acquire new skills connected to healthcare. HOSA opens a wide span of opportunities like to network with healthcare professionals, explore careers and gain more knowledge on their own interests. This club can be the start of where you find your passion and when you enjoy it.
“After shadowing a medical professional for a HOSA event and seeing her compassion and impact on her patients, I realized I wanted to pursue a career in medicine where I could combine science with meaningful human connection,” HOSA secretary Srikari Seethiraju ‘26.
Seethiraju’ experience shows how HOSA can help students find their interests and goals. As students understand the aspects and receive more exposure, the decision can become clearer. With participation in the national level competition and continues to be involved in the program, she has gained information on many aspects of healthcare and HOSA. How she is involved can show how HOSA encourages students to explore their interests, as they develop important skills and see what healthcare can look like.
“HOSA has helped me explore my interest and my desire to be in the medical field in the future by showing me new perspectives of healthcare and how people come together to solve medical issues and raise awareness to several medical conditions,” Diya Karthick ‘28, a member of HOSA.
Karthick was a state qualifier for the testing event, where she gained exposure to the academic side of medicine. She is in a teamwork event centered around awareness and addresses medical challenges. With sides from individuals and collaboration these views have helped peak her interest in healthcare. The experience has let her see how different aspects of healthcare connect.
HOSA has shown how it’s not only a club it encourages those to pursue and explore their passions. Through student experiences at state and national level they have fun while they look at what they are interested in. Students have discovered their passion through the variety of options and events the program provides. Students can turn this educational experience into an enjoyable event.
