After a struggle to revive ASU’s chapter of Health Occupational Students of America last semester, a small group of students is preparing to compete in the national organization’s state competition later this month.
The club is designed to provide college and high school students interested in a career in the medical field with the opportunity to expand their health care knowledge while developing their leadership skills, director of membership for national HOSA Jeff Koeninger said.
The state competition includes 52 events that test students’ skills and knowledge, and qualifies the top three students for the national competition in June, he said.
ASU HOSA has been active on the Tempe campus in the past, but after a few semesters of inactivity, interest was recently rekindled within the College of Nursing and Health Innovation on the Downtown campus, current president and health science sophomore Joel Bumanglag said.
More than 100 students expressed interest in joining the club, so Bumanglag and his fellow Associated Students of Arizona State University Downtown senator Amanda Cram began organizing the group last semester.
“Another student tried to get it going last year, but it’s hard getting students involved, so it just kind of fell through,” the nursing sophomore said. “Joel and I really wanted to bring it Downtown, so I started filling out all the required paperwork for ASU and the state.”
Cram and Bumanglag said they were driven to reinstate HOSA at ASU because of their experience with the organization in high school.
“I was involved in HOSA for two years, and my teacher in Hawaii was actually the one who brought HOSA to the island of Maui, so that influenced me to bring the organization to ASU,” Bumanglag said. “It’s a really great program, and you really do learn a lot.”
The new club’s main focus for the semester is preparing for the upcoming state competition. Ten of the club’s 15 current members will be traveling to Tucson April 14 to participate.
Based on his high school experience, Bumanglag said he thinks students will enjoy the competition and hopes they will benefit through participation.
“The competition is really interesting because you develop specific career ideas, and it allows us as individuals to express ideas in an artistic way,” he said.
Competitions include public speaking on health care related topics, medical knowledge tests, CPR and other skill demonstrations, and recognition for community service and leadership, among others.
Bumanglag will be participating in the medical photography competition and Cram will not be attending.
Other ASU students will compete in the extemporaneous health poster and speaking skills categories.
Each chapter can only register one competitor per event.
Because the events are mostly individual competitions, HOSA members act as a type of support system for each other, Bumanglag said.
“As a group we’ve been reading up on our own interests and touching base with the other students to see where they need help,” he said.
As the semester winds down, Bumanglag said he wants to raise awareness of the club in order to gain members, which will allow them to get involved in community service activities next semester.
“Moving forward next year, my main goal is to give back to the community,” he said. “Right now, we’re looking at going to local food banks and homeless shelters and helping out that way. I know a lot of students don’t have the time for it, but, if they manage it right, I would love to see the organization grow, and I know they will gain a lot from the experience.”
Reach the reporter at keshoult@asu.edu
