If you've never been involved with a vocational student organization (VSO), you may not fully realize the "power" that an active HOSA chapter has in motivating, inspiring, and rewarding your students. HOSA is one of the youngest VSO's and the smallest in membership. The youthfulness of HOSA explains, in large part, the size of the membership. It takes time to build a dynamic organization that is equal to a Future Farmers of America (450,000 members), a Future Homemakers of America (350,000 members), or a Distributive Education Clubs of America (200,000 members.)

If you are a new advisor and are taking over an existing HOE program, it is recommended that you:

1. Contact the HOSA state advisor to determine the success of past chapters in the school.
   
2. Review documents that guide the organization.
   1. Local documents:
      • Chapter constitution and bylaws
      • School activity guide
      • Vocational policy manual
   2. State documents:
      • State constitution and bylaws
      • State assocation guide
      • State vocational policy manual
      • State student activity guidelines
   3. National documents:
      • HOSA, Inc. Bylaws
      • HOSA Bylaws
      • HOSA Policies and Procedures Manual
      • HOSA Handbook
      • Promotional and information brochures
3. Contact key people and discuss the strengths of the organization as well as areas for improvement.
   1. Local contacts:
      • Past HOSA members
      • Past chapter officers
      • Principal, Activity Director, or Dean of Students
      • Department Head or Vocational Director
      • Chapter parents
      • Active alumni
      • Community leaders, especially in the health care industry
   2. State contacts:
      • HOSA State Advisor
      • Other HOSA advisors
      • State Officers
   3. National contacts:
      • Headquarters staff
      • National President or Executive Council members
      • Chairman of HOSA, Inc. Board of board members
      • Committee chairmen
4. Review materials that give insights into the organization.
   1. Past issues of local, state, and national newsletters and magazines
   2. Past articles in newspapers
   3. Yearbooks of the institution
   4. Chapter scrapbooks
5. Identify key people in the community who are willing to support the HOE-HOSA Partnership.
   1. Trade and professional organizations
   2. Civic and social organization
   3. Leading health care employers
   4. Government agencies related to health care
   5. Political leaders (city, county, state, and national)
   6. Parents (especially those in the health care industry)
6. Conduct a planning session prior to the start of school and bring together all those individuals who will support the HOE-HOSA Partnership. In this planning session, you are looking for persons who want to get involved in:
   1. Classroom training
   2. Fund raising projects
   3. Acquisition of equipment, materials, and supplies
   4. Educational projects
   5. Community and civic projects
   6. Public relations activities
7. Conduct a planning session with your students to determine those who wish to get actively involved in the HOE-HOSA Partnership. While all students will benefit from partnership (chapter) activities, some students will seek leadership roles while others will be active followers. It takes leaders and followers to build a strong chapter.
8. Explain the role of the chapter advisor to your students. You responsibilities are to:
   1. Integrate HOSA programs and activities into the classroom to enrich the occupational training necessary to succeed in a health care career;
   2. Serve as a resource regarding the HOSA organization, programs, activities, oppurtunities, and procedures;
   3. Help the chapter affiliate with the state and national organization;
   4. Make certain that affiliation fees are submitted as required to ensure eligibility to compete and run for a state or national office;
   5. Facilitate leadership training for chapter offices and members;
   6. Help students organize and maintain and active chapter;
   7. Encourage all students to get involved in chapter activites;
   8. Provide oppurtunities in class to conduct chapter activities and business meetings;
   9. Help the chapter develop a program of work that builds upon and enhances classroom training;
   10. Assist the chapter in evaluating individual and team performance in accompishing the program of work;
   11. Keep members informed as to local, district, state, and national programs and activities and guidelines;
   12. Provide adult sponsorship and leadership when needed;
   13. Encourage members to keep all publics well-informed as to chapter activities and accomplishments;
   14. Get HOSA Activities on everyone's calendar to avoid schedule conflicts;
   15. Explain and promote HOE-HOSA Partnership to all publics;
   16. Encourage the chapter to support other organizations and their activities;
   17. Utilize a health care industry advisory group and a parents group to provide support and feedback to the chapter;
   18. Encourage chapter members to accept district, state, and national responsibilities;
   19. Encourage chapter members to participate in HOE-HOSA programs, activities, and conferences;
   20. Work closely with the state advisor to submit the affiliation application and fees in an organized and timely manner;
   21. Adhere to guidelines regarding participation in district, state, and/or national conferences, competitive events, and running for elected office;
   22. Motivate the chapter to participate in national visibility campaigns like the Children's Miracle Network Telethon;
   23. Chaperon your chapter at all functions;
   24. Cooperate with the state advisor and HOSA Headquarters staff as called upon;
   25. Encourage students to seek recognition through the competitive events program and officer elections;
   26. Guarantee all students have equal oppurtunities in participating in the HOE-HOSA Partnership and achieving success;
   27. Seek innovative ways to integrate HOSA into the classroom and curriculum; and
   28. Provide the health care industry with technically qualified workers who have developed, practiced, and refined their leadership and followership skills.

The strength of a VSO, such as HOSA, is at the chapter level. Without active chapters and strong state associations, HOSA would not exist. Without a national organization, however, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for local chapters and state associations to leverage the resources needed to develop the support system provided by HOSA, Inc.

HOSA exists because the parts (chapters, states, advisors, members, etc.) are pulling together to achieve common goals. "The total is greater than the sum of the parts." The HOE-HOSA Partnership is truly "synergistic." We can accomplish much more together than we can separately. That same atmosphere must exist within the local chapter. Members working together (in a chapter) can accomplish more than individuals working independantly. The HOSA advisor will be called upon to help members and the organization achieve a synergistic impact.