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HOSA Team Competes at State Conference

Kadoka Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) students competed at the state HOSA's Leadership Conference in Sioux Falls on April 8 & 9, 2021. 
Annually, the conference brings in nearly 900 people, with over 60 competitive events, a dozen tours, and 40 breakout sessions. HOSA chapter members take part in a college/career fair, keynote speaker, banquet, and awards ceremony. The conference takes pride in providing students the opportunity to advance their future health careers. 
Each student of Kadoka HOSA Advisor, Laurie Prichard, qualified to compete at the state competition earlier this year, an impressive feat.
Mrs. Prichard's chapter consists of four juniors; Madison Brown, Alexis Hamar, Farynn Knutson, Andi Stone, and senior Kelsie Varner. 
The students along with Mrs. Prichard and Kristie Stone attended two days of breakout sessions and event competitions. 
Students visited over 30 different college vendors about healthcare careers with some already excited to go on college visits.
The following is a list of the Kadoka HOSA chapter's state competitive events, the qualifications required to compete at the state level, and the student/team's placing at the state conference (if applicable).
Creative Problem Solving
Creative Problem Solving is a teamwork event. Those competing at the state level are given a hypothetical health problem and have half an hour to analyze it. They are then given eight minutes to present their solution to a panel of judges. The state's top twelve teams compete.
Madison Brown, Andi Stone and Kelsie Varner
EMT
Emergency Medical Technician or EMT, is an emergency preparedness event. Those competing at the state level are given a skills-based test that aims to focus on patient assessment and management. The state's top twelve teams compete.
Madison Brown and Kelsie Varner
Job Seeking Skills
Job Seeking Skills is a leadership event. The event requires competitors to prepare a cover letter and resume, and participate in a job interview with a judge. The top fifteen students in the state compete.
1st place - Kelsie Varner
Personal Care
Personal Care is a health professional event. State competitors are given a skills-based test that focuses on measuring temperature, pulse, and respiration; donning personal protective equipment and using it correctly, along with cleanliness. The top ten students in the state compete.
1st place - Alexis Hamar
Nursing Assisting
Nursing Assisting is a health professional event. Those competing at the state level are given a skills-based test that focuses on cleanliness, recording vital signs, patient admission, and making a closed bed. The top twenty students in the state compete.
Farynn Knutson
Epidemiology (Online Test)
Epidemiology is an emergency preparedness event. The competitive event is an online test in which students are tasked with answering questions relating to health and disease in populations.
Andi Stone
Behavioral Health
 (Online Test)
Behavioral Health is a health science event. The competitive event is an online test, tasking students with answering questions near the realm of psychology including mental health, substance use disorders, and more. 
Top 10 Finisher - Andi Stone
Alexis Hamar placed first in Personal Care, Kelsie Varner took a first in Job Seeking Skills, and Andi Stone placed in the top ten in Behavioral Health.
Hamar and Varner's finishes qualified the duo to compete at the HOSA International Leadership Conference (ILC) during June 23-26, 2021.
The ILC welcomes over twelve thousand attendees every year. According to sdhosa.org, "Some of the country's prestigious healthcare industries and educators emigrate to this conference to share innovations and ideas with HOSA members. These national partners offer education symposiums and exhibits for HOSA members to experience healthcare from a perspective others only dream about."
Due to certain state's and school's travel restrictions, safety recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the location's inability to safely accommodate all those attending, the event will go virtual on June 23-26, 2021. The conference was originally planned to be held at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida. 
The switch to virtual marks the second year in a row for the HOSA ILC's format. In 2020, due to COVID-19 concerns, HOSA's very first virtual ILC made them the first Career Technical School Organization (CTSO) to not cancel their annual leadership conference amidst the pandemic. Nationally, eight CTSOs help students further their career and technical education through various competitions, events, and activities. The National FFA Organization is a familiar CTSO.
According to hosa.org, HOSA wants to remind those attending the ILC in June, that the same level of competition will be provided throughout the conference as it would be in person. "Even with a transition to a Virtual ILC, HOSA is not 'skimping' when it comes to competitive events! A majority of what we are offering virtually is comparable to competitors’ experiences during an in-person setting. HOSA is not reducing the quality of the competitive event experience, and in many ways, competitors will receive new added value through virtual opportunities. There are advantages in offering competitive events virtually."
For further updates and a detailed outline of the 2021 ILC, visit ilc.hosa.org.
Kadoka HOSA Advisor, Laurie Prichard looks to expand her chapter next year, calling all students who consider a healthcare job in their future to think about joining.

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