Step 1 – Get to Know HOSA
The first step in establishing a HOSA chapter at your school is to familiarize yourself with the organization. HOSA-Future Health Professionals is an international organization with a two-fold mission: promoting career opportunities in the healthcare industry and enhancing the delivery of quality healthcare to all people. You can learn more about HOSA through our website, social media platforms, and HOSA handbook.
Step 2 – Identify Potential Members
Look for students who have an interest in healthcare professions. They could be enrolled in health science classes, members of other science-related clubs, or have volunteered in healthcare settings. Remember that anyone with an interest in health and leadership can become a part of HOSA. Think about advertising on social media or putting flyers up around your school!
Step 3 – Identify an Advisor
An advisor should be a teacher or any faculty member interested in healthcare education and students’ success. The advisor will guide the club activities, help students prepare for competitions, and oversee the club’s administration.
Step 4 – Work with your School’s Administration to become an Official Club or Activity
Present your idea to your school administration. Prepare a presentation highlighting the benefits of a HOSA chapter in your school, such as increased interest in healthcare careers, development of leadership skills, and community service opportunities. Once you get approval, follow your school’s protocol to establish an official club.
Step 5 – Affiliate Your Chapter With International HOSA
Once your chapter is approved by your school, it needs to be affiliated with International HOSA. You will need to reach out to the MN HOSA State Director, Summer Hagy, to get your registration login for the International Chapter Registration Site
All members will need to be affiliated with international and MN HOSA (fee is $25 per person)
Step 6 – Create an Officer Team
How to: Chapter Government
In order to make sure your chapter runs as smoothly as possible, it’s important to elect certain individuals to lead the chapter. Every chapter’s officer team may look a little different depending on its size and needs. Chapters are welcome to add or modify positions as appropriate; however, all local officer structures and positions must comply with the Local Officer Policy. Below, you’ll find some helpful suggestions for leadership positions and how to elect local officers.
Positions
President: This position will delegate and lead their chapter through different events, activities, and conferences. The president will have the final say on decisions and will give orders to other local officers
President-Elect: This position will be closely watching the president and how they do different things. They will be assisting the president, and taking notes for next year. This is a 2-year position, in which the president-elect will become the president of the next HOSA season.
Vice President: This position will be assisting the president in any tasks needed. A vice president will be the backup in case the president is absent.
Secretary: This position will be keeping track of all chapter records, chapter hours, and meeting minutes. They are in charge of ensuring chapter members are participating in events, and keeping track of attendance.
Treasurer: This position will be in charge of all chapter finances. This includes registration dues, competition fees, and any other expenses. This leader will be in close relations with the school’s bookkeeper/ designated person who deals with activity finances.
Social Media Coordinator/ Reporter: This position will manage chapter social media pages. This includes Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, etc. They will ensure all chapter members receive information and are in charge of chapter engagement.
Picking Local Officers
Building a strong officer team is one of the most important steps in creating a successful chapter. For guidance on interviewing applicants, selecting officers, and running elections, see the Officer Elections Guide.
Step 7 – Recruit New Members
The best way to do this is outreach and marketing your HOSA chapter. So, make sure to create an Instagram account where you can post/promote your meetings or events. Remember that prospective members need a reason to stay, so make sure to market your chapter as a fun activity for all grade levels
Holding informational meetings: Most often, your first meeting will be an informational session where interested students will learn more about HOSA. It’s important that you give reasons to stay because they’re still on the edge about whether or not they want to join.
Getting the word out/social media: Creating an Instagram and following people from all grades is a great way to get people to know about the club. You can also use this account to post/promote your meetings and other events. Make sure to also print out informational flyers and put them up around your community or school. Furthermore, if your school has a “back to business” or activities fair, work with your advisor to get a booth/slot.
Check out our Instagram
Step 8 – Plan Activities
How to: Running a Chapter Running a HOSA chapter is no small task, but if you follow our advice, you’ll be very prepared to do so. One of the great things about our organization is the diversity that each chartered association brings and that translates into how each local chapter is run as well. While chapters operate differently, they’re all common in that they hope to learn, lead, serve, and innovate.
Things to Do When it comes to things to do, there are plenty of options. If you’re stuck or need more ideas, please refer to some of our suggestions found below: Volunteering, Games, School-wide HOSA events, Guest speakers
Meeting Starters Fun games: charades, medical pictionary, mock debate, etc.
Food Quizzes – Buzzfeed quizzes, pop quizzes, Kahoot!, etc.
Content for Initial Meetings Informational Meeting: At the start of the year, you will most likely have informational meetings that will be like an “about HOSA” session Affiliation Before the first conference you attend as a chapter, all members will need to be affiliated with national and MN HOSA (fee is $25 per person)
Conference/Event Meeting Throughout the year, you will also have more informational meetings specific to an upcoming conference/event and information related to it
How to: Starting a Chapter In addition to running a chapter, starting a chapter is no small task and may even be tougher. The first few weeks of starting your chapter may be some of the harders of your HOSA career, but if you follow our advice, you’ll have a much more efficient and fun time.
Establish a meeting frequency: After the initial informational sessions, there will be a diverse range of meetings that you can have. From registering your chapter for a conference/event to playing fun games, there will be numerous meetings. In order to provide a sense of predictability for your members, it’s important to establish a meeting frequency. With this, members can be confident about moving their schedule around to fit HOSA in.
Fundraising/Budget: Fundraising is a great way to help lower the cost of conferences and also have money to purchase shared resources to study for your club. Refer to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for more ideas
Step 9 – Attend Conferences
Washington Leadership Academy – Every year, HOSA-Future Health Professionals hosts a capstone leadership experience for HOSA officers and members providing unique experiences through experiential learning, real-world applicability, and networking.
HOSA invites all State Officers and Local Chapter Leaders to join us in Washington, D.C. for the 16th Annual Washington Leadership Academy (WLA). WLA features dynamic workshops and interactive activities to teach HOSA leaders to be better advocates of HOSA’s mission and vision. This action-packed experience is the highest level of leadership development for HOSA-Future Health Professionals
Fall Leadership Conference – What is FLC? Well, the Fall Leadership Conference (FLC) is all about building connections and realizing your interests in the medical field. Within FLC, there are various technologies to experiment from, demos and guest speakers, and a multitude of stands and companies to learn from. Some examples include realistic demos on giving birth, information on volunteering, CNA training, and job opportunities. There are also displays of most surgical tools used in live surgeries. Most importantly, FLC is a great opportunity to experience what HOSA is all about and make connections with members from other chapters. With various social and educational events, FLC is the place to set the stage for your HOSA journey.
MRC Camp – The Medical Reserve Corps fits well within HOSA’s Goals and HOSA’s two-fold mission to promote career opportunities in the health care industry and to enhance the delivery of quality health care to all people. MN HOSA MRC has goals of education to learn to prepare themselves for disasters and teach others to be prepared for disasters in their homes, schools, communities or state. The courses reflect this including First Aid, CPR, Psychological First Aid, DRAT (Disaster Readiness Action for Teens), ICS 200 & 700 and other Public Health related courses that will benefit them now in preparing for HOSA events as well as preparing them to be educated volunteers in the times of man-made or natural disasters.
Dealing with Public Health issues in areas of Drugs and Alcohol and Stress have been added this year to help HOSA members be educated on situations that they are experiencing in their communities and hearing about in the news with a better understanding on what to look for and how to react to each situation.
Our goal is to have the Most Highly Qualified Health Professionals in all areas of healthcare right in our backyard and to step in to the needed professions that are experiencing shortages and to be good community leaders.
Through the MN HOSA MRC, members are trained in camps and workshops throughout the year which gives them the opportunities to return to their communities to teach others through mentoring in schools, teaching all age groups about Emergency Preparedness and holding camps for kids in the summer.
Our Emergency Preparedness Endeavors would not be possible without our partners which include The Department of Health- Officer of Emergency Preparedness and Behavioral Health, Department of Health and Human Services, the MN National Guard, Community Emergency Response Teams, and many volunteer Health Professionals.
Mid-Winter – Mid-winter is the first competitive conference of each HOSA year. It is a precursor to SLC and is meant to give competitors a first taste as to what their events entail. The event isn’t what you thought it would be like? Switch it! There is no commitment here and Midwinter is simply so everyone can try out their event beforehand. In addition, like any HOSA conference, midwinter has many sponsors and many networking opportunities. Look out for stands from Ebenezer, Be The Match, or any other of HOSA’s premier sponsors! There’s always more to look forward to too.
State Leadership Conference – The Minnesota HOSA State Leadership Conference is an enriching and exciting event bringing together future healthcare professionals from across the state. This conference is an essential platform for HOSA members to enhance their leadership skills, network with like-minded individuals, and learn more about the dynamic field of health care. Throughout the conference, participants can engage in a variety of interactive workshops, seminars, and guest lectures led by experienced healthcare professionals and educators. Topics can range from emerging trends in healthcare to career preparedness and personal growth. In addition to the educational components, students will have the opportunity to showcase their medical knowledge and skills in competitive events that cover a wide range of healthcare areas. Winners from these state-level competitions will earn the opportunity to represent Minnesota at the HOSA International Leadership Conference.
