In the first week of December 2024, the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) took preliminaries for their state competition. They prepared for preliminaries with resource folders and training. Preliminaries for the competition, which consists of 67 events (both individual and group), include tests, presentations, and skill demonstrations. 

The club itself is all about learning the field of medicine.  As Skylar Blakey (10) puts it, “I joined HOSA so I can get a better insight on the medical field because that’s what I want to pursue.”

Now, the qualified members are in the thick of preparation, study, and lots of nerves. The sponsor of the club, Ms. Ohms, has been sponsoring for 10 years now and insists her members get better “the more years they’re in it.”

The top scores across the board in each event are accepted to go to state.  This year, 30 of the 64 members have qualified. They are listed alphabetically by event. 

 Charlie Schloemann (11) qualified for Clinical Laboratory Science, which includes a 50-question test in the first round, followed by skill demonstration in the second, all of which help to inspire members to gain knowledge and skills for a traditional laboratory setting. He plans to go into internal medicine, and Schloemann explains: “It [will] open up opportunities for a medical career path [and] gain knowledge on how to network with other medical professionals.”

Stephanie Gorcowski (12) and Ryleigh Pitman (12) are competing as a pair in Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). This event includes two rounds: a 50-question test followed by a skill demonstration on emergency medical care and proactive healthcare. As Pitman says, it is “ a full-body examination and trauma assessment.”

Vince Champion (12) has qualified for Extemporaneous Writing Health Policy, which is much different than the other events: when Vince arrives he’ll receive a secret topic that outlines relevant health policy or issues to write an effective policy letter.

Emma Chandley (10), Ryleigh Coffey (9), Sofia Davis (9), Elizabeth Freeman (10), Addison Krotz (11), Kate Pursell (9), Jayden Reed (11), and Lia Young (9) will all be participating in pairs in the Health Career Display event. This event will allow them to research a career of interest, create a display board, and present. They’ve already begun with a digital outline to be prejudged in the first round, followed by the presentation for the second.

Ava Goetting (11), Carter McCree (12), Liam McGill (11), and Charlie Schloemann will be participating in Healthy Living. For this event, the first round was a 50-question test, followed by the second round with a personal portfolio with data on their healthy living and presentation. This event is to encourage members to gain the knowledge and skills required to understand how to live healthily.

Natalie Meneese (12) and Olivia Rushing (12) will be doing a skill demonstration after their test in the Home Health Aide event. This will help them gain the knowledge of how to support a patient in their home and equip them to serve patients in a home health setting. Meneese joined HOSA because of the interest factor.  She said, “It was a club I was interested in and it jogged my attention.” Meneese believes she could make it to nationals.

Ayalah John (11) participated in Human Growth & Development and had a first round of 100 questions in 90 minutes with a tie-breaking essay question. Members of this event learn about biophysical, cognitive, social, and emotional development.

Skylar Yates (12) was in Medical Math and had round one of 50 questions related to the knowledge/skill in identifying, solving, and then applying mathematical principles. This event hopes to inspire students to learn about math integrated into medicine.

Sydney Atchison (12) and Savannah Lacy (11) both participated in Medical Reading, which has thus far involved reading medical books and a round of answering questions about them. If they go on, they will have to read additional books and repeat the process of analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating. It may seem like a tedious event to some, but to others like Atchison, it’s more like fun; “All things medical are my passion,” she explains.

Sofia Davis (9), Tanner Hall (10), and Lia Young (9) in Occupational Therapy have taken their 50-question test, which is a new event for HOSA this year. This event aims to help members gain knowledge/skills in the occupational therapy field.

Emmlyn Morley (9) in Patient Care Technician has two rounds, one of 50 multiple choice questions and another of skill demonstration. This will involve patient care in medical settings.

Gracee Ingersoll (10) and Maredith Russell (12), both in Physical Therapy, have taken their 50-question test and will perform a skill demonstration. They will learn about patient recovery and physical therapy concepts/techniques.

Skylar Blakey, Sydney McCree (10), Brooklyn Riggs (10), and Jayden Rudder (11) will be in the Public Health event, in which a group sends a prejudged video trailer with the express goal of convincing the panel of judges that they need to see the full performance in the second round. If the judges are impressed, the competitors go on to present in full. The 2025 theme is “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: Social Disconnection – A Public Health Concern;” with this theme, the teams will develop an effective, dynamic, and creative presentation to inform the public about this particular health issue. 

 Last but certainly not least, Ayalah John, Carter McCree, and Sydney McCree will compete in Sports Medicine. The first round is a 50-question test, followed by a skill demonstration. This event is all about injury prevention, therapeutic intervention, and immediate care.

These individuals and groups will go to state on March 17 and 18, 2025 in Springfield, Illinois. The top 10 will be recognized here and the top three will continue to internationals to compete once more.