HOSA is a club that students can join if they have an interest in going into the medical field. HOSA was previously referred to as “Health Occupations Students of America,” but it now stands for “Future Health Professionals.” The mission of HOSA is to empower the future health professionals to become leaders in the global health community through education. HOSA was founded in November of 1976 in Arlington, Texas. HOSA promotes career opportunities in the healthcare field and enhances the delivery of quality healthcare to all people.
While HOSA does prepare members for their future careers, it also develops them through different life experiences or skills. Members of HOSA state that they feel as if they have community, have come out of their shell, and find it easier making connections with others. Freshman Caris Rich, who placed top 10 at state, feels like she “learned how to expand [her] career with what [she] want[s] to do.”
HOSA members have developed a sense of community, and this includes having sportsmanship within their community. Sophomore Minhthy Tran states the biggest thing she learned is sportsmanship. Tran followed that up by saying, “HOSA is such an active club with so many members that care and root for each other. The sportsmanship between members is none like any other I’ve experienced.”
HOSA provides students with plenty of opportunities to prepare for state. These opportunities include members running the school blood drive, learning to incubate patients, learning CPR, among many other things. This is important to prepare for state because it allows members to show their skills and feel confident within their future career. This is the reason why Rich, Tran, and Ariela Pezic (a junior) placed top 10 in State, along with Ella King (junior) placing in the top five. Pezic placed in pathophysiology, Rich placed in Medical Law and Ethics, Tran placed in Medical Spelling, and King placed in Cultural Disparities. These students did exceptionally well with preparation for state.
HOSA State occurred on March 5th to the 7th, 2026. The HOSA members are required to test for regionals in their specific category, if the participants make top 10 in the region then students are selected to attend state. Rich stated, “At state there’s a testing room you [report] to, where you have a multiple choice test [that includes] 50 questions and an essay.”
On the first day of State, the selected students participate in testing and conclude with an opening ceremony to welcome everyone. The following day, the students attend multiple workshops. Some workshops include the career CPR, hosted by Georgia State, Respiratory Therapy and Laboratory Science, and Pharmacology, hosted by Mercer University. On the final day, the participants attend the closing ceremonies where awards are presented.
Overall, HOSA is a very welcoming and career guiding tool. The HOSA Generals aim to gain experience with raising the overall quality of healthcare. Being a part of HOSA may be fun but it is also very rewarding. The HOSA Generals who went to state did a great job representing our school. We are looking forward to seeing what these generals continue to grow within their career.
