Surgery, ER and nursing were just a few of the classes that Millard West HOSA members attended at the HOSA Health Experience hosted by Catholic Health Initiatives(CHI) on October, 26th.

Beforehand, members of HOSA were able to sign up for the sessions that interested them. They went to Midlands Hospital for the first half of the day and Lakeside for the second half. HOSA got to participate in a wide range of classes based on their interests in the medical field. In each class were machines that that specific type or doctor used. They showed the students how to use them and the circumstances they use them in. They were able to see first hand what it would be like to have that specific career in the medical field.

Each student had to pick 5 different classes between the two different hospitals. By choosing 5 of them students got a feel for what else was out there besides what they are aspiring to become.

“Every year the venue changes along with the classes offered,” HOSA director Jeanne Meyer said. “The state HOSA leaders are the ones that decide which classes will be offered that year at that particular hospital.”

The sessions allow for different student involvement, and some offer more hands on activities than others. This year students were able to enjoy the Infectious Disease session where they were put into bodysuits and isolation pods.

Junior Anna Richling attended the HOSA experience last year and went to the cadaver lab.

“It smelled really bad, but your nose adjusted after a few minutes, ” Richling said. “There were two bodies, a man and a woman, with their skin and everything pulled back. The woman was busy so my friends and I went to the man. We got to hold each of his organs.”This year’s visit to the hospitals was less interactive than the previous year, however, the students still appreciated having the opportunity to go back on the field trip. The trip was filled with lots of knowledge about how the doctors and nurses care for ill patients in different ways.

The students got to see the machines that the doctors and nurses used during their day. They explained how they use it and the purpose that it served.

“I went to the respiratory session this year,” Richling said. “It was a really interesting experience because we got to talk to a therapist and he told us what he does day to day. He also let us try to intubate and actually use a ventilator to see how powerful it actually is.”

Getting to be put in with the real life machines and tools that doctors use during their day helps students get a sense of what it is really like to be a doctor. Some students are still unsure of what specifically they would like to do in the medical field. Being in HOSA and going on these field trips let them try new things. They may end up doing one of them as a career some day.

“I’ve always wanted to work with kids, but I do not want to be a teacher,” sophomore Gabby Moffett said. “ I want to be in the medical field. Because of those two reasons, I thought that being a pediatric doctor would be right for me.”

HOSA takes advantage of the learning opportunities hosted by different facilities each year, this trip being a favorite for many.

“I loved seeing the different specialities and exploring the possibilities of what I may want to be in my life,” said sophomore Grace Coniglia.

The HOSA Health Experience by CHI had a variation of classes you could attend. This enabled the students to try lots of new things. New experience opens doors for job opportunities you may have not even known were out there.