After completion of their health care occupations training, graduates are thrust into a highly competitive labor market. Success will be enjoyed most by those health care providers that possess a "competitive edge." Compared to other programs, health occupations programs have a strategic tool (HOSA) that provides HOE students with the leadership and followership skills needed to achieve higher levels of personal and professional success in adult life.

When implemented properly, HOSA can be a positive force for: increasing program enrollments; gaining program visibility; involving employers; securing commitment of vitally important supports groups; motivating students and teachers to higher levels of personal and group performance; recognizing excellence; and providing the means by which personal and career goals become realities for HOE students.

Energize your HOE classroom and curriculum by providing a leadership lab (chapter) in which your students can develop, practice, and refine skills that will distinguish them from other health care workers in the labor force. The mission of health occupations education is to provide students with the very best preparation available to enhance their job performance and competitiveness in their chosen profession. If your students are not leadership ready, they may not be as valuable to their future employers. By integrating the leadership skills found in this book into your curriculum, you can provide your students with a value added classroom that provides them with the slight edge needed to be competitive in tomorrow's health care delivery system.