Did you know that in the United States alone, there are nearly 700,000 physicians? HOSA is a club for students who are interested in pursuing a career in the healthfield. Students participate in service projects and compete in health-related competitive events. This school year, Bob Jones HOSA participated in a canned food drive, donated blankets to a nursing home, and partnered with LifeSouth for a blood drive. Another blood drive will be hosted April 23rd, 2021 at Bob Jones. If you are interested in donating, sign up here. 

Covid-19 has disrupted our daily lives. It has impacted nursing homes greatly, leaving residents with little or no contact with others, especially around the holidays. To assist these nursing home residents, students in HOSA made blankets for all residents. Forty-four blankets were made and donated to the Morningside retirement home. Bob Jones HOSA also participated in the annual canned food contest against other North Alabama regional Chapters. 61 cans of food were successfully donated to Asbury in November.

In addition to nursing homes, hospitals were impacted by Covid-19. There have been less blood donors compared to pre-pandemic. Hospitals are in crucial need of blood. According to USA TODAY, more than 50,000 blood drives have been canceled or moved due to the pandemic, leaving about a million donors looking for an alternative way to donate. HOSA has assisted Life South by holding a Blood Drive at Bob Jones on November 20th and successfully donated 69 pints! Another blood drive will be held on April 23rd from 7:15 to 3:30. Please consider participating in the blood drive as it is greatly needed. Click this link to sign up. Everyone 16 years and older is eligible to donate blood. If you are 16, you must fill out the parental consent form. Analeise Wasenius, a Bob Jones student, told about her experience: “With it being my first time donating blood, I was a little bit nervous but the volunteers and staff did a wonderful job making me feel at home. I also loved talking with the nurses and asking about why they decided to become a nurse and what specific things their occupation requires them to do. It was a really awesome experience that I will definitely be doing again.” If you decide to donate blood you will receive snacks, a t-shirt, and most importantly, an opportunity to save lives. Even if you are underaged and cannot donate, you can still help by spreading the word to those who can.

In addition to service, HOSA also takes part in competitions. As the club for future healthcare professionals, students participate in events dealing in a variety of areas dealing with the medical field. Earlier this year, HOSA members that qualified in their event participated in testing and later, the annual State Leadership Conference(SLC). This year, SLC was virtual and was held in Patriot Hall for Bob Jones students. Every student did phenomenal in their event and many placed in the top 6 of their event! The top three in each event qualify to participate in the International Leadership Conference(ILC). Due to Covid-19, ILC has been made virtual this year like last year. Student Alecia Walker shared her thoughts on experiencing Virtual SLC. She says that “Although this is my first year in HOSA and my first SLC, my experience couldn’t have been better! I loved all of the different sessions and all that was offered. Truly was such an insightful day.”

Here is a list of those that placed in the top 6 in their event:

Biomedical Debate Team: 

Chen, X., 2nd Place

Danh, M.

Nguyen, T.

Pour-Biazar, A.

Dental Science: 

Ramesh, P. 2nd

Emergency Medical Technician Emergency Preparedness Team: 

Crosby S., 4th

Laferrera K.

Epidemiology: 

Chopade N. 3rd

Karl E. 6th

Health Career Photography:

Moro J. 5th

Medical Law and Ethics:

Ramesh, S. 1st

Medical Math:

Yoo J. 6th

Medical Terminology:

Lee E. 2nd

Nutrition:

Lin, J. 1st

Pathophysiology:

Chopade, P. 2nd

Gunasekaran, B. 5th

Pharmacy Science:

Nguyen, N. 5th

Physical Therapy:

Walker, A. 2nd

Veterinary Science:

Nguyen, V. 3rd

HOSA is a great club that offers valuable service and competition opportunities. If you are interested in joining, consider signing up next school year!