Since the coronavirus first hit the United States, we’ve seen “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers” make the sacrifice to continue working to keep us safe. There are videos of people applauding healthcare workers from their windows, thanking them for their service and encouraging them to continue fighting for us. As the next generation of America’s workforce continues to shape their future plans, many of them are witnessing now the most extreme challenges they could be up against in certain professions. Some of these future healthcare heroes are on the Tallo platform today, and we’re proud to work with our partners to make sure they’re recognized for their hard work. But when nearly all in-person events for students have been canceled for the foreseeable future, students are losing the opportunity to make important connections, gain hands-on experience, and receive feedback and recognition on their hard work.
HOSA-Future Health Professionals (HOSA) and Tallo are up to the challenge!
HOSA is a career and technical student organization (CTSO) that works to promote career opportunities in the healthcare industry. For students, an exciting aspect of HOSA membership and an important part of their health science education is participating in competitive events. Every year, students from around the world compete in regional and state leadership competitions (SLC) that include both individual and team competitions. Students submit projects for categories like Public Health, Medical Innovation, Public Service Announcement, or Researched Persuasive Writing and Speaking. Based on how well they perform as SLCs, they may have the opportunity to move on to HOSA’s largest event of the year — the HOSA International Leadership Conference.
In light of COVID-19 concerns, many of HOSA’s state associations had to make the difficult decision to cancel this year’s SLCs and were left with a question of how to give students the potential to qualify for the HOSA International Leadership Conference. The decision was made to build upon their relationship with Tallo and use the platform as a digital portal to host approximately 19 of their SLCs virtually. The Tallo platform will be used as a vehicle for students to submit the projects, a way for judges and HOSA leaders to download competitions for pre-judging, and a file for all HOSA scholarships to facilitate judging.
In fact, Tallo was humbled to receive the kind words from Bobby Crandall, HOSA Director of Technology: “Again thanks to Tallo, HOSA SLCs (State Leadership Conferences) will be saved this year!” We believe that students shouldn’t have to sacrifice important opportunities and career training during this COVID-19 pandemic, and we’re proud of the innovative ways that HOSA is using the Tallo platform to “save the day” for their students.
If you’re a HOSA student on Tallo, make sure to update your profile with your HOSA involvement, request a HOSA Digital Badge, and apply for exclusive HOSA + Tallo scholarships! If you’re an educator and would like to learn more, check out these Tallo resources. Student organizations can learn more about Tallo here, and this is a good source for students, educators, companies, colleges, or organizations in need of some tips and extra support during the coronavirus outbreak.
