HOSA connects members to speakers, opportunities in medical field

HOSA is a health club at Central which provides opportunities to students interested in careers in the medical field. The club’s president, Noor Himdan, has been a member of the club for two years under the supervision of John Morley. HOSA is an internationally recognized organization which implements knowledge of medical careers and encourages driven students to explore careers in the medical field.  

“It’s a good way to help you decide now what you enjoy before the future comes and you have to choose your major and get really involved,” Himdan believes. 

There are roughly 40 members in the school’s HOSA club and they meet every other Tuesday. During the club, different speakers come to talk to the members and the club’s officers organize activities. Himdan says that the speakers discuss a wide variety of topics, to ensure inclusivity for the interests of all members.  

“This is a better way to see what careers there really are,” states Himdan, “to get some better inside sources to come speak to you about what it’s really like” 

Although the club deals a lot with anatomy and physiology, it addresses numerous possible career paths in the medical field. In the spring, HOSA members participate in competitions which cover a wide variety of categories, some being: dentistry, medical journalism, anatomy, CPR and life support, etc. UNMC holds competitions for HOSA in Omaha, winning these competitions could qualify a member to compete nationally.  

Himdan comments, “A lot of people don’t really see all the parts to a field, you can have multiple interests, there’s a lot of different options to explore.” 

Himdan is specifically interested in biomedical engineering, she claims that the club has helped to increase her interest in this field of medicine. Studying for competitions is mostly individual work, the club’s speakers provide an extremely broad idea of varying sections of the medical field.  

“We’re not too specific,” Himdan remarks, “not only am I more inspired to learn about more of the specifics in the medical field independently, but I get excited about learning from different speakers.” 

Club officers work together to manage funding, sponsorships, organize events, and plan meetings. As president, Himdan oversees affairs and works with the officers to identify and execute tasks. Himdan spends a couple hours a week working on her duties as HOSA president, disclosing, “It doesn’t ever feel like that because I’m either spreading it [the time] out or it’s great because all our officers collaborate and work together.” 

Himdan heard about the club through friends and speakers who presented to science classes at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year. After joining the club, the main opportunities she discusses are job shadowing, community involvement, and HOSA’s listing on a member’s resume. 

Himdan encourages many students to join HOSA, “Anyone who is passionate about science in any grade level who has even considered being in the medical field in the future. Even if you’re not one-hundred percent it’s worth it to join the club and ask: ‘is this something I want to do in the future?’”