HOSA (now officially called HOSA-Future Health Professionals) is a student organization where members compete in health science events, volunteer in their communities, explore healthcare careers through hands-on experiences, and build leadership skills. It’s open to middle school, high school, and college students enrolled in health science courses, and most of what you’ll spend your time doing falls into four buckets: competitions, community service, career exploration, and conferences.
Compete in Health Science Events
Competitions are the centerpiece of HOSA. The competitive events program is divided into six categories for high school and college members: Health Science Events, Health Professions Events, Emergency Preparedness Events, Leadership Events, Teamwork Events, and Recognition Events. Depending on the event, you might take a written knowledge test, perform a hands-on clinical skill in front of judges, deliver a presentation, or work through a scenario with a team.
Health Science Events test your knowledge of topics like medical terminology, anatomy, and pathophysiology. Health Professions Events focus on specific career skills, so you could find yourself demonstrating dental science techniques, pharmacy calculations, or veterinary procedures. Emergency Preparedness Events put you in simulated crisis situations, like responding to a mass casualty scenario or performing CPR. Leadership Events involve public speaking, health education campaigns, and job interview simulations. Teamwork Events require you to collaborate with other members on things like community health proposals or forensic science challenges.
Competition starts at the local or regional level, moves to a state conference, and top finishers advance to the International Leadership Conference. The academic testing portion of many events is administered through a formal testing center, so preparation looks a lot like studying for an exam combined with practicing real clinical or presentation skills.
Middle School Events
If you’re a middle school member, HOSA has its own set of events designed as introductions to health careers. These include Health Career Exploration, Foundations of Medical Terminology, Life Threatening Situations, Math for Health Careers, Foundations of Veterinary Science, and a quiz-bowl style event called Foundations of HOSA Bowl. For the 2025-2026 year, two new middle school events were added: First Step Career Skills and Foundations of Healthy Living.
Community Service and the HOSA Service Project
Service is a core part of the HOSA experience. The organization partners with a national service organization that chapters can support through volunteering and fundraising. The current ongoing partner is NMDP (formerly known as Be The Match), which runs the national bone marrow donor registry. As a member, you can get involved by fundraising to help NMDP grow its registry and support patient families, or by recruiting potential donors to join the registry so more patients can find life-saving matches.
HOSA tracks participation through a points system. Every dollar raised counts as one point, every volunteer hour counts as one point, and every person you help add to the NMDP registry earns 20 points. Once a chapter hits 100 points, it receives a Certificate of Recognition. Individual members can also earn the Barbara James Service Award by logging at least 100 hours of health-related community service between June and May of the program year. That award has three tiers: Bronze for 100 to 174 hours, Silver for 175 to 249 hours, and Gold for 250 or more hours. All hours must be approved by your chapter advisor to count.
Explore Healthcare Careers Firsthand
Beyond competitions and service hours, HOSA connects students with real healthcare environments. Some chapters partner with local hospitals and clinics to arrange weekly shadowing visits. At Fredericksburg High School in Texas, for example, students spend one to two hours each week observing departments like obstetrics, wound care, pharmacy, lab, and radiology at a partnering hospital. Staff tailor each visit to student interests, so you’re not just watching from a distance. You’re learning what people in those roles actually do every day.
These experiences can go beyond observation. Students in some programs earn certifications in areas like patient care, CPR, and EMS fundamentals while still in high school. Some chapters participate in hospital emergency preparedness drills, playing the roles of patients or family members during mass casualty simulations. That kind of hands-on exposure is difficult to get anywhere else as a student, and it helps you figure out which healthcare path fits before you commit to a college program.
Attend Conferences and Lead
HOSA holds conferences at the state and international level. The biggest is the International Leadership Conference (ILC), which brings together members from across the country and internationally. The 2026 ILC, for instance, is scheduled for June 17 through 20 in Indianapolis. At the ILC, you’ll find the final rounds of competitive events, educational seminars and workshops led by healthcare professionals, exhibits from professional partners covering current health industry topics, and general sessions with recognition ceremonies.
The conference also includes the formal business side of HOSA. Voting delegates from each state participate in running the organization, proposing changes, and electing national officers. If you’re interested in the organizational leadership side, serving as a chapter, state, or national officer is a significant time commitment that involves public speaking, event planning, and representing HOSA at official functions.
Who Can Join
HOSA is open to students at three levels. Secondary (high school) members must be enrolled in a health science education course. Postsecondary and collegiate members are students in health science programs at community colleges, technical schools, or universities pursuing a bachelor’s degree. Middle school members participate through a separate division with its own tailored events. You join through a local chapter, typically organized by a health science teacher or program coordinator at your school. Membership runs on an annual basis, and dues vary by state.
The day-to-day experience depends heavily on your chapter. An active chapter might meet weekly, run study sessions for competitive events, organize service projects monthly, and coordinate shadowing visits with local healthcare facilities. A smaller chapter might focus mainly on preparing for competition season and completing one or two service projects per year. Either way, the combination of competition prep, volunteering, career exploration, and leadership opportunities is what makes HOSA distinct from a typical school club.