The purpose of the HOSA State Convention is to promote career opportunities in the health care industry and to enhance the delivery of quality health care to all people. HOSA provides a unique program of leadership development, motivation, and recognition exclusively for secondary, postsecondary, adult and collegiate students enrolled in nursing programs.
Terrence Simmons — First place in clinical nursing and nursing assistant, qualified for nationals in both categories. These real-world experiences have not only helped them to excel at the state competition, but they have also given the students the capability to either enter the work force as a Certified Nursing Assistant or enter college having already earned multiple college credits.
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Berger Educator. You Might Like. James Take time to celebrate Veterans Day in St. The opportunity for learning about healthcare careers through HOSA happens on two levels: training for HOSA-sponsored competency-based competition events, and exposure to healthcare careers through clinical experiences.
HOSA competitions take place at state and national levels. There are 56 competency-based competition events in six different categories, including health sciences, health professions, emergency preparedness, leadership, teamwork, and recognition. Through the chapters' regular meetings, members are able to learn about each of these categories and then focus on training for their preferred competition area.
Twice annually, all of the state's chapters gather for the spring and fall leadership conferences. The spring leadership conference is when the students have the opportunity to compete in their categories. Top performers from this state competition will have a chance to compete nationally, which may provide students with additional opportunities for scholarships and internships.
She said her members are motivated by the opportunity to compete. The other level of HOSA training is through clinical experiences, which are offered slightly differently depending on the chapter. These experiences give students a chance to connect what they learn from competition training in the classroom to the actual job setting.
Both Grand Forks chapters offer a nine-week clinical experience for their advanced students in a variety of healthcare job settings. Adams said the support from the Grand Forks healthcare community is key to being able to let students "try the career on" and experience the reality of it with trained professionals at their side. No matter how each chapter chooses to function, the overall goal of fueling students' interest in a healthcare career remains the same. Students also get a chance to hone those valuable leadership skills such as public speaking, problem solving, and developing organizational and critical thinking skills," Adams said.
HOSA student members enjoy benefits such as resume building, opportunities for scholarships, collaboration with health professionals and future employers, and leadership opportunities at the local, regional, state, and national levels.
And just as the student members benefit, Adams agrees that the future of North Dakota's healthcare workforce will benefit from HOSA as well. Because North Dakota's program is so new, it's hard to place a number on how it has affected the workforce so far. Heuchert believes that the impact of HOSA on the state's workforce will likely be realized farther down the road.
Even though [some] students may not be focusing on that aspect right now, most will look back and remember what they learned to make their future career decision. I have found that most of my [HOSA] students will choose to work in the healthcare field," Heuchert said. She encourages current medical professionals to take an interest in the up-and-coming healthcare workforce by engaging in HOSA-related activities. The more exposure students have to medical professionals, medical careers, and medical experiences, the more likely they are to choose a healthcare career.
This article originally appeared in the Spring issue of North Dakota Medicine.
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