EVIT Health students went "green" to HOSA Conference

45 Health Occupations students and five advisors at East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) used a "green" approach to attend their HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) Fall Leadership Conference. They walked across the street and took the light rail.Located at the end of the Light Rail, EVIT students took advantage of the public transportation to attend the annual event. Students learned about exciting careers in military medicine and life in the operating room. They especially enjoyed the opening and closing sessions talking about all the opportunities for students who participate in HOSA and their futures in health care careers.

EVIT Instructor Jon Howell was recognized for being selected to serve during the National Convention this year. Howell and EVIT Instructor Sharon Black conducted a session on "How to Win" in the HOSA Bowl.

EVIT provides Health Care training for more than 900 high school students in the east valley.

Getting hooked on HOSA

Today, EVIT health students are learning one sure way they can make new friends, build up their resumes and help others -- by getting involved in the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) organization.


HOSA is a student organization that promotes career opportunities in health care to enhance quality health care available to all people. EVIT health students are automatically enrolled as members when they pay their class fees, and they have the opportunity to get involved in the organization through a variety of competitions and community service projects.

The first event coming up is the state competition, known as the Fall Leadership Conference, on Nov. 12 at the Phoenix Convention Center. EVIT students who grab first place in those competitions can go on to compete at the national level in June in Anaheim.

Competition categories include:

• Exams (such as dental spelling or medical terminology).
• Health Professional Events (such as biotechnology, home health aide, physical therapy or medical assisting).
• Emergency Preparedness (such as CPR, first aid or EMT).
• Leadership Events (such as giving speeches, writing competitions or poster competitions).
• Teamwork Events (such as creative problem solving, forensic medicine, biomedical debate, HOSA Bowl, public service announcement or medical reading).

The competitions also feature recognition events, where students can win awards for their volunteerism and for raising money for HOSA's national service project, Juvenile Diabetes research. For more information on the competitions, visit the Arizona HOSA website.

EVIT has been involved with HOSA for several years now, and each year, our students bring home more and more medals! In June, EVIT student Laura Kulas won the school's first ever national gold medal, in the pharmacology competition.

EVIT students have also dominated the state's HOSA Bowl competition for several years and plan to keep that streak going! One of last year's HOSA Bowl teammates, Alex Rist, came back to EVIT today to talk to students about why they should get involved in the competitions. He told students that the hard work pays off when they get to travel to the national competition and have fun while competing and meeting all kinds of new people.

"Everything we did in class applied to our competition," Alex told the students. "And EVIT students are the best, so we have the best shot at winning!"

HOSA students receive $1,500 grant

The EVIT Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) group is getting some extra help paying for its upcoming trip to the national convention in Orlando in June. Irma Copeland, from the Greater Valley Area Health Education Center, presented the group with a check for $1,500 at this week's board meeting.


Thanks, GVAHEC! That money will go a long way in getting our students to the competition!

EVIT HOSA team cleans up at state competition

Dozens of EVIT Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) students brought home medals from the state competition last week in Tucson.

Nearly 40 EVIT students competed in the event, held April 14 - 16 at the Doubletree Hotel in Tucson. Here are the AM winners:


And the PM winners:


First, second and third place winners in each category are qualified to compete in the National HOSA Leadership Conference in June in Orlando. Here is the full list of winners:

HOSA Bowl
First place: Alex Rist, Nidhisha Patel, Casey Strutowski, Ashley Baumlisberger
Second place: Austin Roper, Jodi Copeland, Krystal Jovel
Third place: Stormy Profitt, Jenna Lann-Clemons, Nichole Town

Pharmacology
First place: Laura Kulas
Second place: Reyna Herold

Kaiser Permanente Scholarship Exam
Nidisha Patel
Casey Strutowski
Krystal Jovel
Laura Kulas

Barbara James Service Award
Gema Martinez

Forensic Medicine
Third place: Alyssa Johnson, Tori Painter

Home Health Aide
Third Place: Chanda John

Dental Spelling
Fourth Place: Janine Madrid

Dental Terminology
Fifth place: Lorraine Urie

Biomedical Debate
Fifth place: Bailey Shupe, Kirsten Ward, Lea Jones, Samantha Randall

HOSA raises $6,000 for autism research

EVIT health students wowed the folks from Autism Speaks today when they presented them with a check for $6,000.

Students in the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) organization have been fundraising all semester to raise money for the organization, which is dedicated to changing the lives for those who struggle with autism spectrum disorders. The group held a comedy hypnosis fundraiser show last month as part of the project, and they also solicited donations from family, friends and businesses.

The student organization raised more than $2,700 for the organization last year and were honored for their efforts at the HOSA National Leadership Conference in June. They set a lofty goal of raising $5,000 this school year, and surpassed that by 20 percent!

Amazing job.