2010 ACTE Annual Convention and Career Tech Expo

Greetings from the fabulous city of Las Vegas! The HOSA National Executive council represented Health Science Career and Technical Education at the Association of Career and Technical Education annual conference located in Las Vegas, Nevada. President Elect, Sean Sheffer, Postsecondary Vice President, Rahma Mkuu, Region III Vice President, Chase Edwards, and Secondary Board Representative Shayna Mooney had the opportunity to attend the conference.

The ACTE Convention was held at the Las Vegas Hilton and Convention Center.

December 1, 2010

Today Rahma Mkuu attended the Region 1 meeting at the ACTE Convention. She addressed teachers, advisors and supervisors from the Region 1 meeting. Rahma addressed the delegates about how HOSA has impacted her life. She described how HOSA has motivated, inspired and given her opportunities to grow as a Health Care Profession. She shared her goal of fighting health care disparities in developing nations and utilizing HOSA’s partnership with the  United States Public Health Service. Rahma had the opportunity work with Ms. Mary Ann Bittner, the Region 1 President.




December 2, 2010

Rahma Mkuu worked with Miranda Terrell, 2nd Vice President of Nevada HOSA. Rahma and Miranda greeted ACTE convention delegates at the door along with other Nevada CTSO officers, prior to Opening Session.  

Dr. Gary Moore, ACTE President, opened the General Session. The Mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman, spoke of the importance of Career and Technical Education. He especially emphasized on the importance of Career and Technical Education to the economy.  Following Goodman was Assistent Secretary for the Office of Adult and Vocational Education from the US Department of Education, Brenda Dan-Messier.  She emphasized that “CTE and success are one in the same.”

Nie Wing, the CEO of KP Education Systems spoke at the ACTE opening session, of the importance of ‘Knowledge and Power’ and offered to give away a $100 gift card to Bestbuy for any audience member who guessed his date of birth within the closest range. Participants had to twitter at # KPEDU with a date.

Tim Sanders, New York Times  best selling author, public speaker and former Yahoo executive, spoke about the importance and value of networking. His message empowered the crowd that the most powerful tool, no matter how advanced the technology, people will always be the greatest resource. “Your network is your net worth.” “Relationships are about network of investment.”

Following the opening session, The National Executive team had the opportunity to inform ACTE delegates about HOSA by working an information booth. Rahma Mkuu took delegate’s blood pressures and informed them about the importance of maintaining a normal blood pressure. Delegates watched the HOSA thinkback video as well as picked up information on HOSA.The National Executive council met HOSA advisors from all over the nation that visited the booth. Delegates received HOSA hand sanitizers.



Rahma taking the blood pressure of an ACTE delegate.



December 3, 2010

Sean Sheffer and Chase Edwards had the opportunity to greet delegates at the door from 7:00 a.m. until the start of the awards session with other CTE student organization state officers from FBLA and DECA. The Friday General Session was hosted by the CTE Foundation.  The Chairman, Greg Rintala, spoke of engaging government, business, and education leaders to focus on how to utilize best practices and programs to improve CTE for students.



Sean greeting delegates for the general session.


Special Guests of the session were the Principal and two students from Southwest Career and Technical High School. A panel that included: Bryan Albrecht, President, Gateway Technical College, Gregg Betheil, Executive Director, School Programs & Partnerships, New York City Department of Education, John Lock, CEO, Project Lead the Way; and Felicia Nemcek, Principal, Southwest Career and Technical Academy discussed the importance and the redefinition of the significance between ‘learning’ and the ‘educator’. Without limiting students to the brick and mortar institutions with heavy circulation of books, educators can make a leap in inspiring students to learn from challege-based learning to project-based learning.

Shayna Mooney had the prestigious opportunity to be the Mistress of Ceremonies at the Awards Ceremony, which recognized the best career and technical educators in the country. The awards presented were the Outstanding Teacher in Community Service Award, the Carl Perkins Outstanding Service Award, Outstanding New Career and Technical Teacher Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award, and Teacher of the Year.



Shayna presenting at the Awards Ceremony

 At noon, National HOSA sponsored a Health Science CTE luncheon. Mrs. Shelia Carlton spoke on behalf of the MRC internship with the Office of the Surgeon General, and future events to come in HOSA. Ms. Grace Decken, the Vice President of the Health Sciences Division of ACTE, made updated the advisors and instructors the goals of the division, and also helped raise funds for the ACTE sponsored scholarship in a raffle. Lastly, guest speaker Mr. Byron Garrett spoke on behalf of the importance of all educators to this nation’s youth. Of the many accomplishments of Mr. Garrett, he is the former CEO of PTA, a child advocacy association of over five million members, a previous K-8 charter school teacher and current CEO of Lifeworks. He has appeared on the Dr. Phil Show, MSNBC and written articles for USA Today. With spoken resilience on behalf of education and a future for today’s youth, he inspired the crowd to take steps for a productive and impassioned future. 

Mr. Byron Garrett speaking during the HOSA luncheon. 

The National Officers met many inspirational educators at the conference, with a call to action, the future of HOSA and CTE’s come one step closer to improving America’s future.

Health Policy Symposium

Phenomenal.

That’s the word HOSA National Officer, Claire Lucas, uses to describe her day at the Aspen Heath Stewardship Project Health Policy Symposium in Washington, D.C.. Claire received an invitation to attend the event because HOSA is one of thirty-one members of the Aspen Institutes Coalition.  The Aspen Institute is the premier think-tank for health care policy. The goal of today’s symposium, and the Stewardship as a whole, is to bring together professionals in all aspects of health care to create real dialogue on the next steps to health care reform.

The day began with a keynote from Doug Schoen, an influential campaign consultant, strategists for Penn, Schoen, & Berland and a Fox News Contributor. 

Following Schoen was a panel to discuss implications of the new federal health law. The audience was joined by leaders in health care policy: Shannon Brownlee from Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy, Dr. Judith Feder, Dean of the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, and Mark Ganz, CEO of Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield.  Remarks were made addressing the future of the health care work force. Will there be enough health care professionals in all regions of the country to deliver quality care? What can we do today to prepare the future workforce of the health care industry?  

Claire felt privilege to also hear remarks from the Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Secretary Vilsack addressed his concerns for childhood obesity and answered questions regarding the federal governments response to the issue.

One of the final discussions was on the Implications of CER, Comparative Effectiveness Research. CER is noted frequently in health care discussion because it is designed to inform healthcare decisions by providing evidence on effectiveness, benefits, and harms of different treatment options from clinical trials and research. Key leaders: Dr. Kavita Patel, a supporter of HOSA and current Director of Health Policy Program at the New America Foundation, along with Robert Honingerb of URAC, Karen Friss of Eli Lilly and Andrew Sperling of NAMMI answered questions regarding the implications of CER.

Congresswoman Donna Christensen and Claire Lucas

Also in attendance was Congresswoman Donna Christensen. Congresswoman Christensen is the first woman medical doctor elected to Congress and is also a supporter of HOSA. She serves on several committees of the House of Representatives, one as Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust. Congresswoman attended the symposium to hear and weigh in on the importance discussions surrounding health care policy. 

Claire uses the word phenomenal to describe her overall experience at the Aspen Institute’s Health Policy Symposium. The panelists were phenomenal as were the leaders in attendance. 

2010 National Consortium on Health Science Education

Hello from the Twin Cities! National Officers, Nicole and Claire, traveled to Minnesota for the National Health Science Curriculum Conference to share HOSA with health science educators from across the nation.  The conference is designed to bring educators together to share ideas and resources to bring back into their health science classroom.

Nicole and Claire with Dr. Canady

 Nicole and Claire introduced two keynote speakers: Dr. Canady and Mr. Bill Sanders. Dr. Alexa Canady is a scholar, a mentor, and an educator. She is the first African American woman to become a neurosurgeon and her work directly impacts lives every day by healing in the operating room and inspiring many with her story. Bill Sanders plays a significant role in students’ lives as he travels across the nation motivating students to be their best.

Nicole introducing Mr. Sanders

Minnesota HOSA presented a forum for advisors in the state to discuss ways to share ideas, address common challenges, and develop strategies for establishing chapters at the secondary and postsecondary divisions.  Nicole and Claire then presented the workshop, “Operation: HOSA!” The officers facilitated discussion with advisors, health science educators and specialists.  Great discussion was initiated and Nicole and Claire plan to continue the momentum following the conference.

Claire and Nicole with Ms. Mason, health science teacher from Maryland

During the conference, participants raised funds to sponsor a HOSA scholarship. HOSA is grateful to all advisors and educators for donating to the scholarship. The scholarship will be awarded at the 2011 National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, California. To apply: http://www.hosa.org/member/scholar.html

The National Consortium for Health Science Education was an amazing opportunity to share HOSA with the many professionals in health science education. Nicole and Claire enjoyed traveling to the Midwest and cannot wait to experience the works that escalate from the conference. 

2010 Washington Leadership Academy Day 4

 

  
     Washington D.C. is the city of advocacy. As HOSA members love to share their passion about health care and education, congressional visits are a rewarding part of Washington Leadership Academy. During the final day of HOSA University, state officers and advisors met on Capitol Hill.

HOSA members visited their respective congressional districts to create awareness about Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) and Career and Technical Education (CTE).  HOSA officers also got a firsthand look at the legislative process as they shared bill HR2946 with their congressmen and women. HR2946 is a heath professional pipeline act that would provide funding for health education and address the critical healthcare shortage of the United States. Talk about amazing professional networking experiences!

Arizona State Officers

     Following the individual congressional meetings was a conference in the U.S. Capitol Building, where special guests joined the delegation of HOSA members. Special guests included:

George Sifakis, Government Relations
Congressman Charles Gonzales and Julie Hart, Health LA
Michele Chin, Health LA, from Senator Cornyn’s Office
Theresa Vawter, Health LA, from Congresswoman Kay Granger’s office
 Corina Barrow, Military Nurse Fellow, from Senator Daniel Inouye Commander’s office
Erica Schwartz, Coast Guard
James Paluskiewicz, Health LA, from Congressman Michael Burgess’ office
Rachel Evans from Congressman Tierney's Office
Stuart Chapman, Chief of Staff, from Congressman Zach Space’s office

Each speaker expressed the need for healthcare education and commended HOSA for the efforts made to address those needs. They also discussed the opportunities and rewards available in the health field for driven and passionate students. The guests’ words were truly inspirational and much appreciated by the HOSA delegation.


     As the day neared its end, HOSA members departed. Bittersweet were the moments as the quest for leadership in Washington ended. It was sad to leave D.C. and new friends. However, realizing the gained leadership skills, experience, and HOSA enthusiasm made members feel revamped for the year ahead. Besides, the HOSA family can always stay connected through future conferences…and Facebook!

2010 Washington Leadership Academy Day 3

     Rich in history and beauty, our nation's Capitol Building houses the legislative branch of U.S. government. HOSA members went on a guided tour emphasizing some of the historical moments, intricate artwork, and other interesting parts of the Capitol.

    HOSA's Leadership University continued as members and advisors attended a special conference at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White House.  HOSA attendees had the amazing opportunity to meet a number of inspiring and influential leaders in D.C. HOSA was joined by:

George Sifakis, Axela Government Relations

Captain Robert Tosatto, Director of the Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps in the Office of the Surgeon General

Lieutenant Skip Payne, Program Officer in the Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps in the Office of the Surgeon General

Dr. Glenn Cummings, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Vocational & Adult Education

Paul Monteiro, Associative Director for the White House Office of Public Engagement

Congressman Louis Stokes

Paul Monteiro

Ms. Sheila Carlton and Congressman Louis Stokes

The delegation was honored to hear from such knowledgeable and passionate advocators for Career and Technical Education, as well as, for HOSA.

Captain Tosatto

     The excitement continued as our HOSA members traveled to Arlington National Cemetery. For the second year in a row, members have had the privilege of attending a special HOSA wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This year, President Claire Lucas and President-Elect Sean Sheffer had the rare opportunity to place a wreath in recognition of the ultimate price paid for freedom. The time-honored changing of the guard was powerful and emotionally demanding. Overall, words cannot adequately capture the gravity of the experience.

     The day ended with a final teambuilding lesson, graduation, and inspirational thinkback video by HOSA University. This truly brought HOSA leaders from around the nation together for heartfelt reflection on the time spent together. In the words of the video:  “enjoy your friends, be a team player, be an original you, find a friend, smile, be flexible, create something, make time to relax, keep going…”
These messages capture the spark of HOSA enthusiasm and describe the vibrancy for the upcoming year and years to follow.

2010 Washinton Leadership Academy Day 2

D.C. showers gave HOSA University a new twist!

On the second day of Washington Leadership Academy, members continued their sessions in HOSA University. With various creative lessons, such as combining the classic Mr. Potato Head with the idea of successful workshops, the members received a greater base of knowledge to take back to their states and local chapters.

After the sessions concluded, the members began their scavenger hunt into the heart of the Washington DC.

The quest began as a competition to finish the scavenger hunt, but also turned into a day of reminiscing, unity, respect, and overall appreciation. HOSA members visited various historical landmarks such as Theodore Roosevelt Island and the breath-taking memorial of Flight 93 at the Pentagon. The exciting team journeys through the National Mall followed.

The delegation had the opportunity to visit places such as the Smithsonian Museums, Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court, The National Gallery, and many more sites in between the Washington Monument and The White House. After a long day of learning and exploring, the Hard Rock Café was the perfect place for over 100 hungry future, and practicing, health care professionals.

Photo compliments of AZ HOSA.

The day concluded with a beautiful Twilight Tour, which consisted of visits the World War II memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, the War of Korea Memorial and finally the Lincoln Memorial. Members were able to reflect on the events that shaped the course of American history in a new way. HOSA members can look back at America’s greatest achievements to carry it on to future generations. As stated in the various historic infrastructure of Washington DC, “The Past is Prologue”.

Photo compliments of AZ HOSA.

2010 Washinton Leadership Academy Day I

Washington Leadership Academy unifies great HOSA leaders from around the nation. This intensive part of HOSA University is held in Washington D.C. – the city of growth and advocacy.

 

The first day at WLA began with a speech by National HOSA President, Claire Lucas. Members were reminded of the tragic and historic day that had occurred exactly nine years ago – September 11, 2001.  Claire’s words encouraged members to reflect on the future of HOSA and their impact on the world as future health professionals.
 

Alumni connections are an instrumental way to measure the impact and continue the growth of HOSA. With over 1 million dedicated and passionate alumni, it is always inspiring to hear how HOSA has influenced their lives.

    

Marko Mijic

WLA was joined by Mr. Marko Mijic, a former national officer and active alumnus, who is currently working in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) within Department of Health and Human Services. As the keynote speaker, Mr. Mijic told his HOSA story. From leadership roles to the compassion of his advisors, HOSA molded who he is today. Mr. Mijic also challenged WLA attendees to make commitments to HOSA.  In turn, he personally made the commitment to help hold each and every individual accountable for the commitment they shared with him. Talk about passion!

Ryan Underwood and Amy Gallimore kicked off the next level of HOSA University. WLA was launched into high gear as members began an intensive journey of leadership and HOSA advocacy. 

 Team building, HOSA information, meeting new people, sharing ideas...

 Alumni membership, fund raising, social media, competitions, recognition, conferences, volunteering...

The WLA excitement was just beginning!

Washington Leadership Academy September 11-14, 2010

Greetings from our nation's capital!  There is much excitement as over 100 of HOSA's State Officers and Advisors have been united for the 4th annual Washington Leadership Academy (WLA).

Day V Pilot Internship at the Office of the Surgeon General: August 9-13

In the final day of piloting the OSG internship, Nicole and Nzuekoh began to truly realize how much their minds had been opened during the week, considering all of the established people they had met and the high influential work they had witnessed. This last day was a final culmination of the experiences they had enjoyed throughout the week.

In a meeting with the Shadow Acting Chief of Staff, CDR Gregory Davis, Nzuekoh and Nicole were introduced to a new initiative the OSG is taking to provide health care to underserved regions. An issue of significant concern with the health care system in the United States is the surplus of specialized physicians and consequent shortage of general physician program. The OSG is now in the process of forming a program that will produce more general physicians who will greatly serve both specific underserved regions, like Native American reservations, and the U.S. population as a whole.  It is an exciting initiative that Nicole and Nzuekoh look forward to seeing being implemented in the future.

The day came to a close with Nicole, Nzuekoh, and Ms. Sheila’s presentation of the work they had completed during the week, the findings and deliverables for the HOSA internship through the OSG and partnership with MRC.  They prepared steps to take in the future in order to continue collaboration with the OSG during the rest of the year.

The greatest final moment of the amazing experience was the presentation of certificates by the Office of Public Health to Nicole, Nzuekoh, and Ms. Sheila. All three felt wholeheartedly honored and even more appreciative of the opportunity that they had been given. By this moment they had not only made a difference in the future of HOSA, but also in themselves. 

Piloting the OSG internship was one of the most pivotal moments in the lives of the two national officers; one that they will always remember. The passion, love, and excitement for HOSA and health care that Nicole and Nzuekoh both had only grew throughout the weekend. It makes them happiest to know that other HOSA members will also be able to grow through this opportunity for years to come. 

Day IV Pilot Internship at the Office of the Surgeon General: August 9-13

Day IV

Nicole, Nzuekoh, and LT La Keisha Jones

   “There has been an emergency, please exit the building.”

    The morning began with an experience ironically relevant to the emergency preparedness missions within the OSG. As Ms. Sheila, Nzuekoh, and Nicole were evacuated from the hotel around 6:45am, they were reminded of the gained insight from OSG internship, the efforts of the Medical Reserve Corps, and the widespread need for emergency preparedness. Although this particular evacuation was minor and the result of thunderstorm related technical issues, plans and awareness are crucial for effective responses. The three laughed throughout the day about their highly relevant experience, and Lieutenant Commander Schaffzin even jokingly replied, “Didn’t you know that the MRC arranged this to test you over the past week?”

 
    The rest of the day was just as exciting! Following the events of the morning was a meeting with the Chief of Staff for the Surgeon General, Captain Davis. It consisted of an enlightening discussion about the plethora of opportunities within the Commission Corps and the Public Health Service and how HOSA students are the perfect pipeline of professionals to take advantage of such opportunities.

    With only one day remaining, Ms. Sheila, Nzuekoh, and Nicole designated some intense project time to fine-tune logistics on internship deliverables for the amazing HOSA-OSG Internship that is soon to be viral. The productive day ended with a venture into the Smithsonian Museums. They went to see the infamous Hope Diamond, the patriotic Star Spangled Banner exhibit, and some of the most inspirational women in history at the First Lady exhibit. All of the wonderful history was a reminder of the importance of taking initiative and having passion, two vital elements for quality healthcare that HOSA members across the nation reflect on each day.

Laura Bush's Gown at the President Bush's Inaugural Address

Depiction of George Washington

The Hope Diamond

Day III Pilot Internship at the Office of the Surgeon General: August 9-13

DAY III

Nicole and Nzuekoh beside a bust of Hubert Humphrey in the Health and Human Services Headquarters

The experience became even more exciting as Nzuekoh and Nicole ventured into Washington D.C. Upon entering the venue, they were struck with the impressive display of portraits of distinguished leaders from the past Secretaries of Health and Human Services. The Department of Health and Human Services is dedicated to helping Americans lead healthy lives. The Office of Public Health and Science, which includes the Office of the Surgeon General, is in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Ms. Sheila admires the wall of portraits and biographies of previous Secretaries of Health and Human Services

Nzuekoh and Nicole first had the pleasure of meeting with Marko Mijic, a HOSA alumnus working in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) within HHS. Marko is a former National HOSA Region Vice President and was able to give Nzuekoh and Nicole valuable insight into discovering one's destined career path, the workings of ASPE, and the potential of the HOSA alumni network.

LCDR Monahan, Nzuekoh, Nicole, and Ms. Sheila in the SOC

 One of the highlights of the day was a tour of the Secretary's Operation Center (SOC). The SOC is the source of command and control through specialized technology, information collection and assessment, and communications that is crucial to HHS. Staffed 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, the SOC is absolutely essential for emergency response. The SOC has been toured by the most distinguished personnel, from the president to top news anchors. Nzuekoh and Nicole were ecstatic to have such a rare opportunity.

Nicole, RADM Rutstein, Nzuekoh, and Ms. Sheila
in the Surgeon General's HHS office

Ms. Sheila, Nzuekoh, and Nicole met with many other dignitaries including the Acting Director of the Office of Science and Communications, Dr. Mary Beth Bigley, and the Acting Deputy Surgeon General,  Rear Admiral David Rutstein. They also had the pleasure of meeting with LTJG Michael Bowens and LT La Keisha Jones, Special Assistants to the Office of the Surgeon General, and realized the incredible workload that the office takes on daily.

Nzuekoh and Nicole then moved on to Capitol Hill, where they met with the legislative assistants of U.S senators and representatives. Along with Senor Legislative Fellow Meredith Scaggs, they visited the offices of Congressman Paul Ryan, Congressman Rúben Hinojosa, Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick, Congressman Pete Sessions, and Senator John Coryn. They spoke about HOSA, the internship at the Office of the Surgeon General, and support for the health education bill, HR2946. The two national officers were pleasantly surprised by the widespread awareness of HOSA and the need for healthcare professionals. Nzuekoh and Nicole left feeling empowered by the spirit of D.C and the knowledge that they have the ability to make a significant difference. 

Nzuekoh outside of Representative Ryan's Office

Nicole outside of Representative Kirkpatrick's Office