Volunteers needed for state high school competition

In March, approximately 500 high school students from across Nebraska will converge on the Nebraska Medicine and UNMC campus in midtown Omaha for a yearly HOSA state competition and leadership conference.

HOSA is an extracurricular organization for students who are interested in becoming future health professionals.

Nebraska Medicine and UNMC are sponsoring this year’s event and Chief Strategy Officer Cory Shaw and Chief Nursing Officer Sue Nuss, Ph.D., will serve as the keynote speakers. The competition is expected to take place at Nebraska Medicine and UNMC for years to come.

“We are excited to partner with HOSA this year for the 2018 Nebraska State Leadership conference,” said Katie Beach, manager of talent acquisition and member of the HOSA state board of directors. “This is an opportunity for us to showcase a variety of careers available in the health care industry and make an impression on the health care leaders of tomorrow, who will hopefully work here someday.”

As part of the two-day event, scheduled for March 19 and 20, students will participate in nearly 50 competitive events including math, forensic science, nursing assisting and public speaking. To ensure everything runs smoothly, more than 100 volunteers are being recruited to serve as judges, timekeepers and event hosts. Most of these events require no specific background knowledge or training.

If you’re interested in helping with the events, you may sign up to volunteer at this link. As you sign up for specific events, please know that the scheduled times may change slightly depending on the number of competitors in each event. A member of HOSA’s competitive events team will contact you with more information by the end of February. You can learn more about each event here.

Another highlight of the conference provides students with an opportunity to participate in more than 40 breakout sessions. These sessions are meant to expose students to opportunities in health care and provide hands-on experience. Examples include tours and demonstrations of medical equipment.

If you have an idea for a breakout session you’d like to facilitate, complete this form and a member of the conference planning team will contact you.