The establishment of a new organization for students wishing to pursue a medical career has taken place this school year.

HOSA, or Health Occupations Students of America, is an all year club in which members get a hands-on look at everything healthcare.

It opens the door to a broad spectrum of medical careers as well as being educational and experimental. Kathryn Tong, one of the Health and Bioscience teachers at DHS, is adviser to the organization.

“There are a lot of underclassmen students who are interested in the medical field and they just don’t have any way of learning about it, often until it’s too late. This is a great way for people to have a concept of what’s out there for them,” Tong said.

Students have the opportunity to work directly with professionals in a wide variety of health care fields, such as nurses, doctors and physical therapists.

This makes sure connections are readily available if students want to pursue medical careers. Guest speakers also come in to give members a more in-depth look at health care professions.

“It’s the same thing as DECA, but for health competitions,” Tong said.

HOSA works in tandem with the Medical Careers Club, run by science teacher Nicole Gurney, alternating every week. The club is beginning this year because there are a surplus of underclassmen wanting to learn more about the healthcare side of medical careers. Since Tong is also a nurse, HOSA provides inside information about healthcare that would otherwise be hard to obtain.

Members of HOSA actively participate in the community as well as within Danbury High School. Community service projects as well as nationwide conferences are held annually, with the first conference being held this month.

“You walk into a classroom everyday that is surrounded with a skeleton, and beds, and mannequins…” Karal Kharawla, senior and President of HOSA, said. “It’s a great club to educate students about which future profession they want to pursue.”

So far, the club has 50 members and is growing every week. Anyone can be a member of HOSA; no science, healthcare, or medical class background is required. It costs $10 to be an active member and participate in competitions across the country.