HOSA Hosts Suture Clinic with U.S. Army Healthcare Professionals

On Thursday March 7th, Health Occupations Students of America – Future Health Professionals (HOSA-FHP) hosted a suture clinic sponsored by New Jersey’s U.S. Army Healthcare Recruiters with over thirty students in attendance. Sergeant Marco Borrego informed students about the U.S. Army Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP), a comprehensive scholarship that covers full tuition for students pursuing a career in medicine, nursing, dentistry, and many more healthcare fields. In addition to receiving financial aid, students accepted to the program also receive a monthly stipend.

Sergeant Borrego opened with a brief overview of the layers of the skin, emphasizing that students will only be working on the top layer. Students were shown different suturing techniques, including interrupted and continuous sutures. Everyone had the opportunity to practice sutures with their own kits. Sergeant Rizyl Nuezca and sergeant Bianca Arthur were also in attendance assisting students with their stitches.

I am beyond grateful to the U.S. Army Healthcare professionals for coming in and educating our members about the opportunities available to pay for medical school, and teaching us amazing suturing skills. This is our first year as an organization and I could not have been more proud of all the hard work that our executive board put in and the events that we made possible.

Montclair State University’s HOSA is a newly founded, student-led chapter with a mission to promote opportunities in all areas of healthcare for those who wish to pursue a career in the field. In addition to exciting events like this, HOSA has held CPR classes, volunteering events at Mountainside Hospital, and hosted information sessions with various guest speakers in the medical field.