HOSA Region Leadership Conference Held February 6

Katrina Sanchez, Flash Staff Reporter

Hundreds of students, teachers, and advisors, dressed in professional business attire, were filing into the building Saturday morning, bright and early at 7:45 a.m., for February 6 marked the date for the HOSA, or the Health Occupations Students of America, Region Leadership Conference, which was held here at Fraser High School this year. Dealing with nearly sixty different competitive contests, students from schools, including Stevenson High School, International Academy, Utica High School, and Fitzgerald High School, gathered to compete and perform in various healthcare related events; one of the several competitions was exam taking.

“There were tests you could take,” said Katelynn Terman, the HOSA sophomore class representative. “There was a Medical Law & Ethics test or Medical Terminology. Then, there was a HOSA Bowl, where you just answer questions about HOSA. There was a Veterinary Science one, and a Dental Terminology one, and an EMT.”

Additionally, students had numerous other options to choose from. HOSA also offers other events, dealing with health professions, leadership, teamwork, and emergency preparedness. More specifically, a few competitions involve extemporaneous writing and medical photography as well as a Health Care Issues Exam.

Terman herself participated in the Leadership Conference but not necessarily in the test taking category.

“I did Health Career Display, where you make a trifold board and then do a speech,”  Terman said.

With her partner, sophomore Carly Landry, the two collaborated in creating an accurate research display board on pediatric physical therapy.

“We had to make a trifold board and have what the job was, like the characteristics of a person who would work in that area or salary and things they do in the job,”  Terman said. “We did conditions and treatments they did. Then, we had to have our display up front. We had to do a five-minute speech on what was on our board.”

During their speech, Terman shares that, as most would have been, she was very nervous. The two were required to speak and present in front of a few judges.

“There were two judges, and there was a timer to make sure you didn’t go over five minutes,”  Terman said.

However, a handful of the judges were familiar faces to Terman that Saturday afternoon, including one of our own staff members.

“There were alumnis that came back and judged,”  Terman said. “Mrs. Tomovska judged one. Some of them were parents who were people who actually worked in that area.

Eventually, as the day came to an end, and the gyms and classrooms had emptied, Terman and other FHS students lent a hand in cleaning up, bringing an end to her day with approximately nine hours spent at the school.

After her first year competing for HOSA, Terman plans on competing again next year.