About HOSA

HOSA - Future Health Professionals, is an international career and technical student organization endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education and the Health Science Technology Education Division of ACTE.

HOSA - Health Occupations Students of America

HOSA offers three main experiences that make the organization so unique: conferences, competitions, and workshops. Together, they create a mix of learning, excitement, and real-world exposure to healthcare. Informations written below are standards of HOSA Canada.

Conferences

• Fall Leadership Conference (FLC): FLC took place online from November 16-23, 2025. FLC is an opportunity to see where you stand amongst your peers, and practice for the main conference, SLC. While everyone is encouraged to participate in FLC, it is not a qualifier competition for SLC or ILC. As such, the conference hosts written tests and facilitate submissions/presentations for submission-based events.

  
  

• Spring Leadership Conference (SLC): SLC is a national competition where students compete in event of their choice. SLC 2026 will be held in-person at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from March 9-11, 2026. The top three competitors/teams from each event will be offered the opportunity to compete at the International Leadership Conference.

  
  

• International Leadership Conference (ILC): ILC is where top HOSA competitors from around the world - Canada, the U.S., Puerto Rico, China, and more - come together for final rounds of competition, leadership sessions, and workshops. It is the "world stage" of HOSA.

  
  

Competitions

The heart of HOSA is its competitive events. These are the categories that students can choose from:

Health Science Events

• Behavioral Health

• Human Growth and Development

• Medical Law and Ethics

• Medical Math

• Medical Spelling

• Medical Terminology

• Nutrition

• Pathophysiology

  
  

Teamwork Events

• Biomedical Debate

• Community Awareness

• Creative Problem Solving

• Forensic Science

• HOSA Bowl

• Medical Innovation

  
  

Health Professions Events

• Biotechnology

• Clinical Laboratory Science

• Clinical Nursing

• Clinical Specialty

• Dental Science

• Pharmacy Science

• Physical Therapy

• Sports Medicine

• Veterinary Science

  
  

Emergency Preparedness Events

• CPR/First Aid

• Emergency Medical Technician

• Epidemiology

• Mental Health Promotion

• Public Health

  
  

Leadership Events

• Researched Persuasive Speaking

• Research Poster

Workshops

HOSA Canada will be hosting two types of seminars throughout the year: Health Professions Workshops and Competitive Events Workshops. After each seminar, students are welcome to ask questions and interact with the lecturers. These seminars are held online via Microsoft Teams and are open to students who have paid their registration fee. Additionally, hands-on and lecture style workshops will be offered in-person at the Spring Leadership Conference.

My Own Experience

For the past two years, I've been part of HOSA Canada, competing in Medical Math event. Even though HOSA became an international organization, the U.S. version still sets the tone of leadership, hands-on learning, and preparing students for real careers in healthcare. HOSA Canada follows that same energy, and being part of it really made me feel connected to something bigger than just a school club or a competition.

Medical Math might sound dry, but it's actually one of the events that shows you how high the stakes are in healthcare. Every question - dosage calculations, converting between units, IV drip rates - remind you that in the real world, these numbers matter. They can affect someone's health or safety. These facts made me take the event serious, even when I was joking about how I do "math" during practices.

My experience was not just about memorizing formulas, though. There were many late nights of practicing with friends, attending meetings every Tuesday and Thursday, and stressing together right before competitions. HOSA has its way of bringing people together, whether you're chatting with students across Canada or meeting others who follow the U.S. HOSA program online. It felt like being part of this international community of students who are all aiming for something in healthcare.

HOSA Canada Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hosacanada/

HOSA official website https://hosa.org/

One of my favorite parts of HOSA is the Spring Leadership Conference. My teammates and I would take the GO Train for an hour to the Toronto Metro Convention Centre, cramming around a table and doing last-minute prep on the way. The moment we arrived, the place was buzzing with students from all over Canada.

But SLC wasn't just about competing - it was also about trying hands-on workshops. I got to extract DNA in "Unlocking the Genetic Code," learn proper sterile techniques in "Squeaky Clean: Learning to Scrub In," and even practiced cardiorespiratory exams and history taking. These workshops gave me a real taste of what healthcare feels like beyond the textbooks and made the whole experience feel meaningful and motivating.

2025 SLC

Overall, HOSA Canada has been one of the most meaningful parts of my high school experience. From the conferences to the competitions to all the hands-on workshops, I learned so much about healthcare and about myself. If you’re looking for a club to join—especially if you’re even a little bit interested in health science—I honestly recommend joining HOSA. It’s fun, it’s challenging, and it opens doors you didn’t even know existed. You never know… it might end up becoming your favorite part of high school too and gain awards!