BY DYLAN CHAVEZ
Hundreds of students across North Carolina, including participants from Northwood High School, will be attending the HOSA State Leadership Conference (SLC) in Greensboro from March 26-28. Northwood’s HOSA students have been preparing for the statewide competition ever since Northwood attended the Sandhills Regional League Conference back in November. Students aspiring to become a future health professional or have a career in health will compete with other students statewide in different medical events which will prepare them for their long term goals.
Students will showcase their knowledge and skills in front of judges, known as testing sessions. Several testing sessions will occur throughout the days the competition takes place and students will be ranked on how well perform their event. These testing sessions will be timed, so students will have to manage their time wisely while they showcase their skill. In addition to showcasing their chosen medical skill, students also learn about social and leadership roles, learn about the current healthcare issues which are present in the medical world, and have a firsthand experience of their event through attending a simulation-like event.
“Hopefully, we will get a gold star award for the dedication of everyone. The participants will get a gold medal for their good dedication as well for their specific event. We will congratulate them as a whole when we return to school from the admin and CTE department to know,” said Elizabeth Farrell, the HOSA advisor.
Participants will get to see health career expositions on display made by other attendees, so students can look and have a better idea of the health career they want to pursue, or to look at the information regarding other roles and the importance of that role in the general medical field. They will have the opportunity to interact with other students around the state and discuss topics regarding health careers, their events, or socialize in general. Regional student officers will get to elect their state officers, who are also students that are also attendees of SLC.
With the competition being fierce and extremely competitive, students have been studying at home and during school when they are able to. In regards to someone wanting to participate in regionals or states in the future, Farrell recommends that students choose a competitive event and practice it once a week, at least. She said students should be prepared and ready to showcase their knowledge instead of attending with limited knowledge and going unprepared.
“I am not necessarily nervous for the SLC Competition, but SLC is an extremely competitive event; however, I have complete faith in my HOSA members and their preparations for this event,” said junior Cattia Blake. “For the HOSA members that may be stressing over the States competition, I would reassure them that whether or not you place in your event, SLC will still be a beneficial experience for them and there are plenty of fun activities to do at SLC. I have competed in years prior to this and I have confidence in my competition category, Medical Terminology,” Blake said.
The firsthand experience of attending states has already given encouragement and confidence for members to reach their goals to the best of their ability, as well as reassuring and giving confidence to other members who haven’t gone.
“I definitely would support and encourage national HOSA to expand the amount of opportunities and experiences available for HOSA members around the nation,” Blake said. “Currently, there are only two to three events where HOSA members from different chapters come together to compete and network. I would prefer that there were more events to connect people with similar interests like HOSA members.” In regards to attending SLC and RLC, Blake believes that HOSA, as a whole, should offer more experience for members to prepare and learn about being a future health professional.
“I wouldn’t say my mindset has changed necessarily regarding competition specifically, however, I would say that I am more prepared for SLC this year compared to previous years,” Blake said. “On the other hand, being one of the presidents of HOSA, I want to ensure that every competing member of HOSA enjoys their experience and gain from the trip as I and many other HOSA members have done previously.”
