Elk Grove High School students pursuing health profession careers excelled at the Illinois HOSA State Leadership Conference in Springfield in March. Fifteen EGHS students placed in the top 10 of at least one event, competing among 1,500 students from across the state.
Students compete in a broad range of categories, including clinical laboratory science, medical terminology, medical assisting, physical therapy, physician assistant, emergency medical technician, forensic science and many others.
To qualify for the HOSA (Health Occupations Students Association) competition, students must earn high scores on a multiple-choice, content-based test. Qualifiers then perform selected skills at the state conference. To prepare, students dedicate countless hours through internships, classes, teaching other students and independent learning. All of which informs students as they discover and learn more about a wide range of career options.
Freshman Kaitlin Torre, who earned a 2nd-place finish in the conference’s Health Career Photography category, plans to pursue a career as an emergency medicine physician. She credits HOSA with “exposing me to many new careers and viewpoints in healthcare and since my event was centered around different career paths, I was able to learn in more detail about what it means to work in healthcare.”
That’s the kind of insight that Elk Grove teacher and HOSA sponsor Krista Glosson sees repeatedly among her students. Teaching a range of courses, from Introduction to Healthcare to AP Biology and dual-credit anatomy and physiology through Harper College, gives her the opportunity to watch students progress from the time they enter high school until they graduate. The District’s Health Sciences and Technology pathway includes Allied Health, Nursing and Pre-Med options.
"I love being a part of the healthcare career pathway; it gives me the opportunity to watch our students grow," she said. "I often have students in AP Biology or HOSA who I first met in the introductory course as freshmen. It is incredibly rewarding to witness their journey, from initially having broad interests and some uncertainty, to progressing through their classes, gaining confidence and ultimately focusing on an area they are truly passionate about."
Glosson credits teaching colleague Christian Gonzales, Elk Grove’s CNA teacher, for extensively preparing students for HOSA, bringing to bear his wealth of knowledge as an ICU nurse and Marine veteran to instructing students in a wide range of skills, from bandaging an abdominal wound to keeping an airway open throughout CPR. With his guidance, Glosson said, students have learned the essentials of treating critical injuries.