By Aubrey Weddington  

For the Enquirer
 

Students at Hartselle High School are working to prepare themselves for jobs in the healthcare industry. The Hartselle High HOSA chapter of future health professionals is a student-led organization with a mission to promote and improve the health industry and healthcare as a whole. 

The Hartselle High HOSA includes an average of 200 members in ninth-twelfth grades. Students participate in learning opportunities year-round, such as 4K health screenings at Hartselle elementary schools, blood drives, Operation Christmas Child, recruiting stem cell donors and partnering with the Mental Health Association of Morgan County. 

Each December, they have the opportunity to compete in multiple medical-based competitions, qualifying for the state competition held in Montgomery. The Alabama State HOSA Leadership Conference has approximately 1,800 participants. 

Earlier this month, 38 Hartselle students competed in 14 events in Montgomery. 

The awards received at the state competition are as follows:  

Maise Waynick, first place in Behavioral Health; Riley Thompson and Noah Gibson, first place in CPR/First Aid; Olivia Robinson, first place Nursing Assistant; Mallika Kharel, second place Family Medicine Physician; Sarah Beason and Braelyn Harvel, second place in CPR/First Aid; Reid Ellis, second place in medical math; Hunter Lawrence, third place in Physical Therapy; Alison Hill, third place Family Medicine Physician and Chloe Grey and Sofia Hutson, third place Forensic Science.  

These students advance to the HOSA International Leadership Conference in June.  

Other awards received include Elijah Wang and Jett Johnson, who placed in the top six in pharmacy science; Maghan Seagraves and Mackenzie Cottingham, who placed in the top six veterinary science: The Barbara James Service Award was given to the following students: Alyssa Bernat, Bridget Bonney, Jett Johnson, Maisie Maynick and Olivia Robinson. This award honors their volunteer efforts in multiple medical fields.  

Lynne Shelton, Hartselle HOSA advisor says, “We are very proud of our students.” Jan Langston, Kim Goins and John Hardin join Shelton as fellow advisors.  

Shelton was honored with the Alabama HOSA Advisor of the Year award. 

A registered nurse herself, Shelton started the Hartselle Medical Academy in 2011. She has been teaching Health Science and has been a HOSA Advisor for 17 years. She is also on the Alabama State Department of Education Health Science Board of Directors.  

“I was very honored to be chosen as the Alabama HOSA Advisor of the Year,” Shelton said. “There are so many awesome HOSA advisors in Alabama, and I am proud to work alongside them, preparing students for their future healthcare careers.”