South Dakota HOSA Celebrates its 10th Anniversary of its State Leadership Conference

South Dakota HOSA held its largest State Leadership Conference at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls on Thursday, March 31 and Friday, April 1. The welcomed over 830 attendees to the two day event on the 10th Anniversary of South Dakota HOSA.

Dr. Tim Ridgway, the Dean of the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota, welcomed the attendees with encouragement and stressing the need of future health professionals is South Dakota. He, a small town SD native, spoke about his experiences as a boy from a small town who eventually followed his heart to medicine and that they could too, regardless of where they come from.

Competitive Events

With over 50 competitive events that were competed in, SD HOSA members had a jam-packed couple of days. From Clinical Specialty to HOSA Bowl to Physical Therapy, members were able to show off their hard work in the spirit of competition. Over 150 champions were crowned! Thanks to everyone who helped run these events. Winners from both the testing-only and on-site events were announced at our closing session, and the top finishers have a chance to compete at ILC this summer!

Engagement

For the first time, members were able to utilize a conference app, which was a big hit for the attendees as they were able to create community chats as well as compete for prizes. Contests included most liked photo and caption contests.

During the conference, HOSA members had a host of informative and fun breakout sessions to attend while they had down time. With over forty different academic sessions to choose from, there was never a dull moment for HOSA members. Members competed in competitions, saw exhibits, attended presentations, completed simulations, and much more. There was more variety in sessions than perhaps ever before, with topics ranging from surgery basics to the true meaning of heroism. Most sessions had multiple time slots available so that anyone could attend a session if they wanted to.

Teams also competed in an Anatomage Tournament involving a life-sized electronic cadaver table. The event consisted of teams of 4-5 that were tasked with finding anatomical parts on the cadaver. Those who participated, just loved it!

New Officer Installation

Congratulations to our newly elected State Officer Team for SD HOSA 2022-23! Officers are Meredith Guggenmos (President: Brandon Valley), Shadia Dakam (President-Elect: Chamberlain), Emma Yost (Secretary/Reporter: Wagner), Sierra Stiff (Social Media/Reporter: Harrisburg), Kaylee Morehead (Parliamentarian-Iroquois), Juliann Seeley (Treasurer-Beresford). We are excited to bring in 2022-23!