The state-wide Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) leadership conference may be over a month away, but students in the Medical Occupations Club have already begun preparing for a competition that could punch their ticket to California.

March 4-6, 33 EHS students will take to Decatur, Ill. to compete against nearly 800 other Illinois students in various medical competitions. “The HOSA competition is where all medical occupations students come together and show off their skills and what they know,” junior Alexis Defend said.

Students are given the opportunity to compete in 58 different events split into six categories. The categories include health science, health professions, emergency preparedness, leadership, teamwork and recognition. Events range from medical spelling to CPR/first aid to job seeking skills.

Any EHS student can compete at the HOSA competition, “Just the general interest in the health careers is all you need and if they are in class that gives them a lot better preparation to compete,” Ms. Jennifer Weller, the Medical Occupations Club advisor and medical careers teacher, said.

For most students their first event will take place at the conference, but for some it is just a short two weeks away. A group of EHS students opted to take a knowledge test, similar to a final exam, which they will take at EHS.  Categories include human growth and development, pathophysiology, medical law and ethics, pharmacology, nutrition and transcultural health care. Students who take one of these tests will receive their score at the state conference and find out what place they received.

Defend is among those taking a knowledge test. She will be competing in the nutrition category.

“A giant medical dictionary that Ms. Weller let me barrow has become my best friend,” Defend said.

The other events are performed in an individual or team format but take equal amount of preparation as the knowledge tests, “a lot of kids have been forming study groups after club meetings to study and work together,” Defend said.

“A lot of the preparation is academic through class because we compete in things like medical terminology which is a component of the curricular component that we learn in the classroom,” Ms. Weller said. “Besides that I have research materials students can check out to study and then we will also have practices during club meetings.”

The end goal? To finish in the top three and qualify for the national convention on June 24-27 in Anaheim, Calif. Last year EHS qualified the duo of Puja Patel and Brandi Schell for the national competition in the forensic medicine category after they took third at the state competition.

“We are hoping to do better even at state and the potentially do better at nationals as well,” Patel said. “Brandi and I are really hopeful; we have been studying a lot.” The duo did not place at nationals but enjoyed the trip and being among 8,000 students with interests in the medical field.

“We have a bigger field of students going this year,” Ms. Weller said. “With 33 going this year I hope we have more qualify for the national competition.”