This year, students at New Hyde Park have the opportunity to join a new club. HOSA, which stands for Health Occupations Students of America, is an organization that aspires to encourage and equip students to enter medical fields.
The NHP chapter was founded by senior Abigail Chung, who noticed a lack of opportunities for students to learn about healthcare careers.
“I decided to create this club because while there are activities for healthcare, like the Red Cross, many activities aren’t inclusive of all healthcare professionals and don’t focus on specifically nurturing healthcare professionals,” Chung said. “HOSA will serve as an activity that will provide opportunities for students to develop interest and compete in medicine.”
The club hopes to host events that pique students’ interests. These may include guest speakers, such as nurses, workshops for learning CPR or “How to Stop the Bleed” and service projects, like volunteering for hospitals.
The club also hopes to prepare to compete on regional, state and national levels. These competitions assess practical and theoretical healthcare knowledge, as well as presentational abilities. These can include written tests on topics such as biochemistry and microbiology, and practical demonstrations of Community Emergency Response Team skills and first aid.
“This club is for people who are inspired to pursue healthcare and become better members of the community. We hope to host workshops, guest speakers and service projects, which will inspire students to become individuals who contribute to the community,” adviser Ms. Phillip said.
Currently, many students look forward to participating in this club, seeing it as an opportunity to meet new people with similar interests in healthcare.
“I’m really excited to join HOSA as a 10th grader, especially since it is a brand-new club at our school and I get to be part of building it from the start,” sophomore Anhand Kaur said. “I cannot wait to help it grow, meet new people who share my interests, and explore all the opportunities to learn about healthcare and leadership together.”
“Being the first healthcare-related club at NHP, I think HOSA’s a great way for students interested in healthcare to get more involved,” junior Liam Cabildo said. “I’m incredibly excited to be part of its first year and to help shape what it becomes. I hope we can build a strong community where members learn together, and feel inspired to explore healthcare in high school.”
HOSA is looking forward to hosting events, with high levels of participation and advancing NHP through the competitions.
