The Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) club is now open to all grade levels and is not requiring students to have taken a prerequisite course. The club, also known as the Future Health Professionals Club, was previously only open to sophomores, juniors and seniors who received a recommendation from their science teacher and completed the Health Careers course.

HOSA is an international student-run organization in which students can learn about different fields of medicine and make connections with other students interested in going into the health care field. Due to this change in requirements, HOSA has experienced an increase in membership and is now one of the largest clubs at Niles West.

Health Careers teacher Ali Sayed-Ahmed is the new sponsor for the club and decided to open it up for freshmen and sophomores.

“HOSA now has two sponsors which is why we are able to open it up to more people. Before, it was overwhelming for one sponsor to take on so many people in the school but when you have two sponsors it’s a lot easier to manage.  But I think it will be good for the future of HOSA because we can have students for four years versus just two,”  Sayed said.

Upperclassmen also believe this change will be beneficial for younger students interested in medicine. Seniors and HOSA cabinet members Yohanna Endashaw and Jonathan Nguyen think it’s a good idea to remove the previous requirements to enter the club.

“I think it’s great that we’re increasing the accessibility and availability of the club for younger students because HOSA is a great opportunity to get experiences in the field of health care,” Endashaw said.

Nguyen believe that it gives underclassmen an opportunity to begin their studies sooner.

“I think it’s a really great opportunity for [freshmen and sophomores] to begin learning what they want to do as soon as possible,” Nguyen said.

Sayed explains the benefits of joining HOSA.

“HOSA is basically for students who are interested in a future career in health care, and it involves competing in different events related to health care and students can advance to the international level in whatever event they compete in,” Sayed said.

Nguyen has enjoyed trying out health-related work through his involvement in HOSA.

“HOSA has really helped me get out of my comfort zone especially because HOSA has so many different opportunities and events where you can try something that you’ve never tried before or are just really interested in and that can help you get a start in something you might not feel comfortable with,” Nguyen said.

The club brings in speakers, hosts competitions for students and hosts and events that help students learn more about medicine.

“We have different events besides the competitions we prepare for.  For example, the Simbulance where you get to look inside an ambulance and you get to hear from professionals who work in the ER and as EMTs and we have professionals from the field of health care come and speak and we learn about their jobs as well,” Endashaw said.