University High Schools’ HOSA organization (Health Occupations Students of America), hosted a competition in the media center on April, 9th. Students worked in teams, applying medical knowledge to form solutions to hypothetical health problems.

    This event’s goal is to inspire its members to be proactive future health professionals and encourage the use of higher-order thinking to solve complex challenges. Students are assigned a patient scenario where they assume the role of physicians. Groups must determine what is wrong with their patient, come to a diagnosis, and devise a treatment plan. Finally, they present their solution to the judges for a performance evaluation.

     In total, six teams of three participated in the competition. The club has hosted this event for the past two years as an alternative to the regional HOSA competition. The competition held at UHS mimics what occurs at regionals. “They had a ball, there were fewer poster boards, but more students participated this year. They all said they had a good time and couldn’t wait to do it next year, now they’re more excited to go to the actual competition,” said HOSA club sponsor, Nurse Deborah Bukowski.

    The winning team was composed of Gabriela Castellanos, Alae Binkkour, and Anthony Reyes. “We were somewhat prepared and rehearsed but it was mainly just letting it flow, which helped us be less like robots and act more natural,” said sophomore Gabriela Castellanos. This event prepared students for the regional competition and provided them with a hands-on learning experience. “I think that our engagement with the audience helped us win the competition and I had a lot of fun doing it,” said sophomore Alae Binkkour