On January 31, the Florida A&M University chapter
Florida A&M University HOSA chapter members at regional’s.
Photo by Danielle Francis
of Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) attended it’s regional conference at Kaiser University in Tallahassee, FL.
HOSA was able to compete with fifteen team members at the collegiate level against Florida State University. Some of the winning members included: Deonna Andrews, Arleigh-Ann Byer, Ugonna Ononuju, Jamie Hamilton, Michael Dumas, Shakimo Martinus and william William Freeman.
Members of the organizational all agreed to have felt confident on the day of competition.
William Freeman, who won third place in medical terminology said, “I personally felt really excited. I was just anxious. I didn’t get nervous until it was time to see where we placed.”
This years Conference offered a plethora of categories from medical spelling to pharmacology.
Students were able to compete at a collegiate as well as high school level in the competition. Depending on the category, each member was ranked in ascending order based on knowledge or skill based tests.
“There’s so many categories that everyone can offer to HOSA,” Michael Dumas, who won first place in transcultural health care, said. “You feel really great when you’re around people with that same kind of motivation and want to succeed in healthcare.”
Last year, only seven members competed in HOSA’s regional conference. Most members qualified for nationals but were unable to compete at that level due to improper funding. This year the organization planned ahead of time to ensure each member has an opportunity to compete.
“What we try to do is foster leadership within the health field,” founding member, Arleigh-Ann Byer who won first place in health care issues, said. “We just want to see more youth of color have a passion for medicine and pharmacy, whatever it is that you desire to do. This is only stage one. What we’re really going for is states levels and definitely nationals.”
After only being established on FAMU’s campus for three years, the group agreed that the best way to expand their organization is to keep winning.
Jamie Hamilton, who took home first place in biomedical laboratory science, said, “When you see, “Florida A&M University” fly across the board with your name and you’re representing your school in such a prestigious way that speaks volumes.”
HOSA accepts new members yearly and students who are interested in joining are required to correctly fill out an application form and attend an interview.