BROOKINGS Students are learning about health careers while giving back to the community through the Brookings High School chapter of HOSA the Health Occupations Students of America. The group has recently been making and distributing care packages for local health facilities.
HOSA is actually a national organization its a program that they get involved with to learn leadership skills but also to network with other people that are medical professionals, Paul Buisker, Brookings High School HOSA adviser, said. We have different events that we go to, we have state and national competition, and this is designated national HOSA week and what we try to do is some outreach activities for our community.
National HOSA week was Nov. 4-10, and Brookings students chose to mark the occasion by giving back to the community in a couple different ways.
We decided that nursing homes are always in need of blankets so they went and got materials, and then we got together and made tie-blankets, and were going to distribute those at a couple nursing homes in town, Buisker said. Then also throughout the week, weve been doing a clothing drive as well. So we reach out to the students, and if they have any gently-used or new clothes, we also drop that off at the hospital for people that are in need that might have had some type of emergency happen, and they landed there but didnt have extra clothing. So then the hospital can provide that.
They plan to make those deliveries this week. Last week, students also delivered packages to nurses.
Were also delivering care baskets to nursing stations and also to some other local health places, Buisker said. They have all kinds of different goodies so they have some pens in there, and some snacks some healthy snacks and then hair clips and just some of the things that (students) are privy to as far as what nurses need but might forget at home. So thatll be available for them in the basket. And then the students also write thank you cards for all that the nurses do.
Some of the Brookings HOSA students are already certified nursing assistants and have a unique insight on gift ideas for nurses.
The high school offers a CNA course through the CTE program. Its a yearlong course, and basically after theyve taken that course they can take the CNA test and then theyre certified to work in a nursing home as long as theyre 16, Buisker said. Not all of them go out for HOSA unfortunately, but I try to recruit them. Last year I graduated five that were CNAs, and this year I think I have three.
In addition to the outreach work, students also attend competitive events throughout the year, going up against other HOSA chapters.
Say you wanted to go into clinical nursing? They actually have an activity at the state level and you qualify for that by taking an online test. And if you score high enough on that, then we go down to Sioux Falls for the state competition and they have actual clinical scenarios, Buisker said. Theyll have a registered nurse there, and then theyll have a mock patient and theyll say okay heres your scenario now what would you do? And the members study all year long for how to do that properly. So it gets them immersed in the field as far as clinicals go, and its a great opportunity for them to decide hey is this the career that I want?
He said theres a wide range of competitive opportunities.
Theres 80 different events they can compete in. And it could be that you could do speaking, you could do presentation, you could do community outreach programs but you also can do clinical competitions, Buisker said. They have to study, then take the written test, and then if they are in the top certain percent based on the criteria thats put out by the state HOSA organization, they are then qualified for state competition. Then they compete against the best of the best across the state just like any other school activity and then the top are eligible then to go to nationals.
Last year was Buiskers first year advising the group, and that year Brookings sent five students to Houston for nationals. He said theyll find out in April who advances to the state competition. This years nationals are in Nashville in late June.
Although many of their members are interested in nursing, the Brookings group welcomes students looking to explore any health-related career.
If youre interested in, say being a doctor, you want to go into that medical field they have a mentorship program through USD. They can sign up, have a mentor yearlong, and can ask questions like how to best prepare for their undergrad or to get ready for medical school, Buisker said. The most valuable thing is that they learn what their career is going to be like before they actually get immersed in it and before they start taking college classes. So if thats not what they want to do, they can make that decision. But they also can be like yeah this is what I want. And then they can feel confident and maybe even feel like they have more of an advantage over some students that didnt have the opportunity to be in HOSA.
Last year, 33 students were in the Brookings chapter. This year, Buisker had 48 students sign up but he expects around 30 will stick with the group and become dues-paying members.
Its a leadership organization so they learn leadership skills. They have officers, they learn how to run the club. Im more of just a facilitator, Buisker said. If (students) didnt know about HOSA and are interested, stop by and see me. Im in room 217 in the high school. And I had people sign up as late as January last year. Its not too late.
Students and parents alike can learn more through the BrookingsHOSA page on Instagram.
Contact Jay Roe at [email protected].
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