Diplomat Middle HOSA team advances to state
Twelve students from Diplomat Middle have advanced to the state competition for HOSA Medical Club.
Diplomat Middle School Health Department head and athletic director Jamie Gross said she began the HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) medical club at Diplomat Middle School after being the head of the academy at Ida Baker High School for 13 years. Those who want to participate in the club need to have good grades in health for sixth grade and have a desire to learn about the medical field.
“When my own children went to college, I began teaching middle school,” Gross said, adding that there is a junior version with a whole curriculum for HOSA.
Part of the curriculum includes health career research, medical terminology such as prefixes and suffixes, as well as core words, first aid and CPR.
Her main goal is to show the students that it’s not just about becoming a doctor, or nurse. There are 88 different careers they can look at and see if they are interested in pursuing. If they do pursue a certain path and it is not for them, Gross said they still have plenty of time to find something that interests them.
“It was something I didn’t know that I needed,” she said about being the HOSA Medical Club advisor.
Gross said her administration is great, as she went to them with her idea and they asked her what she needed. She said it is great seeing middle school students doing such things as blood pressure and taking vital signs.
She teaches three advanced health classes with 70 students. There are 35 HOSA students at Diplomat Middle School. Out of the 35 HOSA students, 15 recently got ribbon and medals and 12 qualified for states at a competition held at Mariner High School. There are a variety of written tests, speaking and career research for three different levels.
The students who qualified for state will head to Orlando April 13 through April 16 to compete. They will take what they have and refine it, make it neater to become prepared.
The first place winners, and those who qualified for states, for Exploring Medical Innovations, include eighth graders Martin Garcia, Nicholas Garcia, Nhu Nguyen and Nathan Zukowski.
The first place winner, who qualified for states, for prepared speaking is seventh grader Ivan Langeny.
The Health Career Display first place winners for Forensic Science includes seventh graders Ashleigh Russell and Leslie Nichols.
The first place winner for medical math was seventh grader Avril Alarcon Gonzalez.
Seventh graders Andrea Santos and Destinee Rollings received second place for substance abuse nurse, while seventh grade students Lacy Crane and Daniela Cuevas received third place for veterinarian.
HOSA, Future Health Professionals, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services, as well as federal and state agencies, is a student led global organization. The mission is to help empower students to “become leaders in the global health community, through education, collaboration and experience.”
“It increases their test scores, builds confidence. I have kids that weren’t good at things and now are winning at this and fitting in with different groups they never would have fit in,” Gross said.
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