After years of preparation, Health Occupations Students of America is open to campus as a club, co–president, junior Justin Xuan said. For students interested in health, HOSA serves as a competition club with varying medical categories to explore, Xuan said.
“It’s kind of like the healthcare side of FBLA,” Xuan said. “We have volunteering opportunities, and we’re trying to make it a big community.”
In previous years, Xuan said HHS’s lack of a designated health-specific course inhibited the eligibility of HOSA’s chapter. This year, the kinesiology course was established, and HOSA was made an official club advised by science teacher Brian Porticos, Xuan said.
Since October, HOSA has held biweekly meetings in room 110, Xuan said. Throughout the year, HOSA plans to offer group meetings and socials to create an engaging learning experience, Xuan said.
“It’s not all about academics at the end of the day, so we’re trying to foster a fun environment for all the members,” Xuan said.
Although HOSA will primarily teach members about healthcare, Porticos said the club welcomes anyone interested in the medical field to gain insight into career pathways.
“HOSA is a great way to learn more about the healthcare profession and guide an individual to take the right kinds of classes, not just at HHS but in college as well,” Porticos said. “Anything that can contribute to becoming more knowledgeable in a field a person is interested in is going to help them in the future.”
By participating in regional competitions, HOSA will also create a competitive pathway for students to demonstrate involvement in healthcare pursuits, Xuan said.
Co-president, junior Haihan Tai said HOSA is special for the variety it presents, as students can gain experience in a wide range of careers through competition.
Competition categories, such as medical accounting and medical math, will enforce skills that are relevant to any future STEM-related field they want to pursue, Xuan said.
For the competitions themselves, students must undergo a qualifier test to advance to the state-level, Tai said. The students who score well on the qualifier test will be eligible to compete against other schools across California, such as Saratoga and Gunn High School, Tai added.
As the club prepares for competition, Tai said he hopes for HOSA to become a successful medical club that represents HHS.
“This is a great opportunity that [benefits] the whole school, and our team is really well prepared,” Tai said. “For this first year, we are recruiting as many members and preparing as many of them to place in the qualifier test so that all of us can go to the States Conference.”
