HOSA-Future Health Professionals is a student led organization. It is the members' responsibility to ensure the chapter is covering the appropriate material in the correct manner. However when we first start, it is not easy knowing where to begin. Here is a list of items, starting with the first meeting; you can review to make sure you are on the right track.

 

First Organizational Chapter Meeting

1. Elect a temporary chairman.

2. Discuss the characteristics of a good HOSA member.

3. Discuss the qualifications and duties of each officer and set up guidelines for local campaigning and/or officer elections.

4. Discuss affiliation and chartering process, explaining each level — local, state, and national.

5. Distribute information letter about HOSA and the affiliation requirements for students to take home and share with parents (see Appendix C of Section C of the HOSA Handbook).

6. Review and discuss the proposed local chapter constitution and bylaws (see Appendix B of Section C of the HOSA Handbook).

7. Submit an application for a Chapter charter to the state and/or national HOSA office (see Appendix D of Section C of the HOSA Handbook).

 

Second Meeting (temporary chairman presiding)

1. Discuss the purpose of fees for chapter member affiliation at the local, state, and national HOSA levels.

2. Develop a plan and timeline to secure necessary fees (chapter fund-raising efforts, securing school/community agency sponsorship, individual member collections, other).

3. Elect chapter officers:

     a. Prepare ballots (see Appendix N of Section C of the HOSA Handbook)

     b. Conduct nominations (by committee or from the floor)

     c. Schedule speeches by candidates

     d. Conduct voting by secret ballot

     e. Appoint tellers committee to count votes and report

4. Install HOSA chapter officers and members or develop a plan for a special installation ceremony to be scheduled later. (Refer to National HOSA Installation Ceremony; adapt as appropriate to local chapter.) 

 

Third Meeting (new officers presiding)

1. Complete the assessment fee plan and prepare a membership roster, including complete phone numbers and email for each member.

2. Determine how affiliation will be accomplished via the HOSA website at www.hosa.org.

3. Submit Chapter affiliation fee to the National HOSA Office. Remember to recruit alumni members and professional members from:

     a. Interested parents

     b. School administrators

     c. Advisory committee members and other health care professionals in the community

     d. Employers of health science education students

     e. Past local members/ health science education graduates

4. Set up chapter committees and revised responsibilities.

5. Discuss and plan chapter calendar of activities/program of work for the year, including such major activities as state and national conferences, Career and Technical Education Week, and HOSA Week.

 

Action Following the Third Meeting

1. Hold an executive committee meeting (elected officers). Instruct officers individually as to what is expected of them.

2. Cover basic elements of:

     a. Parliamentary procedure

     b. Developing an agenda

     c. Conducting a chapter meeting

3. Executive committee takes the responsibility for planning and developing:

     a. Program of work

     b. Chapter budget for the year

4. The president, with the help of the executive committee, appoints committees and committee chairmen to carry out the program of work.

 

Communicating with Parents, School, and Community

Good communication with all persons/groups involved and related to HOSA operations are crucial to the organization’s effectiveness.

 

Communicating With Parents

HOSA members may plan a “HOSA Night.”

A HOSA Night can provide the advisor with the opportunity to communicate the purposes and value of the organization. This one activity can mean the beginning not only of good parent relations, but also community relations, as the parents discuss their experiences with their friends and acquaintances. A parent night often brings favorable comments on the value of youth organizations.

The approach to parents should be centered on values and benefits to their sons or daughters. A mutual concern encompasses occupational experience, class performance, conduct, use of time, use of earnings, scholarship, citizenship, chapter participation, and overall educational progress and personal improvement. The purpose is to show parents how they can cooperate with the school in providing rewarding experiences for their children enrolled in health science education.

 

Communicating with Leaders of Other Organizations in School

Good school public relations are an essential tool in the development of a HOSA Chapter.

Some activities to include are:

1. Announcements over the public address system

2. Letters/invitations to activities

3. Flyers

4. School newspapers

5. Attendance at other monthly meetings

6. Inter-organization Council

7. Radio-television announcements

8. Social media campaigns

 

Communicating With the Health Care Community

Advisory committees may be formed to solicit support for activities. Compile lists of agencies, individuals, and other community groups who support (or may support) HOSA with time, money, facilities, or in other ways.

Selected representatives from such resources may be invited to serve on the HOSA Advisory Committee, with rotating appointment terms.