By Prabhvir Lakhan | Reporter

Health Occupations Students of America, or HOSA, has been a club for four years, providing  students with opportunities to prepare for medical professions. The club is sponsored by Mrs. Laura Jones-Archer, a chemistry and biomedical sciences teacher. HOSA is led by senior Jacey Karius as president, and seniors Ruhan Syed and Rut Patel as vice presidents.

“The mission of HOSA is to enhance the delivery of compassionate, quality health care by providing opportunities for knowledge, skill and leadership development of all health science education students, therefore, helping the student meet the needs of the health care community,” Jones-Archer said.

HOSA’s state competition spans from April 7-11, and the duration of the international competition is June 27-30. Competitions include tests on medical math, medical terminology, and human growth and development. There are also skills competitions such as sports medicine, first aid, and problem solving. At these events, club president Jacey Karius has placed in the top 10 multiple times. HOSA has also reached internationals in other events.

Club members also make an effort to give back to the community and raise awareness for diseases.

“HOSA has done a lot for the GoRED campaign, which is from the American Health Association, by selling t-shirts and donating [proceeds] to the American Health Association. Also, we have raised money for breast cancer by selling t-shirts and all money went to Crucial Catch,” Karius said.

Students that are a part of HOSA are able to get a good start when it comes to pursuing a medical career beyond high school.

“It allows you to challenge yourself, as you are in real-world scenarios,” said Karius, “HOSA expands your knowledge on the medical field, and you’re able to learn things that you wouldn’t learn in a classroom setting.”