Delilah Fritz, second-year Chisholm Trail Technology Center Health Careers Certifications student and WHS senior, recently won first place in the state competition for her Career Tech Student Organization, Health Occupations Student Association (HOSA).
HOSA students from across the state took tests or worked on projects in various health-related contest categories throughout the school year (more about the competition here: https://hosa.org/guidelines/). This spring, preliminary rounds were held to either present projects or take tests in the field students had chosen. Top performers in the preliminary rounds were invited to compete in the state competition at the HOSA Spring Leadership Conference at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in Norman in early April. Delilah prepared for a challenging test in the field of Occupational Therapy which required her to become familiar with the following concepts in OT: Profession of OT, Models of Practice, Occupation-based Activities, OT for Physical Conditions, OT for Wellness and Mental Health, OT Across the Lifespan, and Ethical and Safety Considerations. Only the top 11 exam performers were invited to put their knowledge into action at the Round 2 skills competition at state. For her skills competition, Delilah learned and practiced the steps required to perform five different occupational therapy skills safely and effectively: Skill I: Instruct Patient How to Put on Shirt with One Hand Skill II: Instruct Patient How to Use Sock Aid Skill III: Instruct Patient How to Transfer from Floor to Standing Skill IV: Instruct Patient How to Transfer from Standing to Floor Skill V: Instruct Patient on How to Take Heart Rate Before and After Activity Skill VI: Instruct Patient on Stretch Break Exercises Skill VII: Instruct Patient on Proper Posture (Sitting in Chair) Skill VIII: Instruct Patient on Proper Body Mechanics Students don't know ahead of time which of the skills they will have to perform. As they walk into the competition room, they are given a scenario and then must complete each required skill, which has between 13-15 steps a piece. The steps must be performed properly and in the correct order while constantly maintaining patient safety and completing the skill within a 5-minute window.
Delilah won her competition and was declared State Champion. Delilah has firsthand experience in the field of Occupational Therapy, which contributed to her success. Having earned her CNA last year, Delilah chose a second-year career pathway called Advanced Healthcare Provider. In that pathway, students select a field of their choice to learn more about and must complete 140 hours of work-based learning in that field. Delilah was hired by Gonzales Pediatric Therapy Clinic in Kingfisher where she did her work-based learning between. Twice weekly between October and May, Delilah drove to Kingfisher to work in the morning in place of coming to school at CTTC. At work, Delilah added on to her CNA skill set learning more about what Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants do. She was able to learn many aspects of running a large health clinic while also observing and assisting with patient sessions for OT as well as physical therapy, speech therapy, and behavioral therapy for pediatric patients.
HOSA State Champions through 3rd place are invited to compete in the HOSA International Leadership Conference (more info here: https://hosa.org/ilc/will ) which be held in Indianapolis, Indiana in mid-June. Delilah will be traveling to Indianapolis with her sister, former CTTC health careers student and HOSA alumni member, Charlotte Fritz, and their HOSA advisor, Amy Estep. We want to wish Delilah the best of luck at the international competition!