VCOM - Virginia 2018 Yearbook

Samuel Coster, President; Kristina Krumpos, Vice President; Jordan Rudack, Secretary; Royce Kim, Treasurer; Houria Balmakhtar, National Liaison

SOSA Student Osteopathic Surgical Association

T he Student National Osteopathic Surgical Association (SOSA) at VCOM works to educate VCOM’s future surgeons. SOSA hosts a variety of activities throughout the year to show the relationship between osteopathic medicine and the field of surgery. • During April and September, SOSA held blood drives in association with the American Red Cross. These blood drives were open to the public and all of VCOM. • In July of 2017, SOSA members were invited to Alexandria Hospital to learn how to operate a Da Vinci Surgical Robot. The students were given the opportunity for one-on-one lessons using the innovative technology. In addition, the students got to speak with surgeons about the field and current use of this medical technology.

• This past winter, SOSA hosted 30 Virginia Tech undergraduate students who are interested in the medical field and taught them the basics of suturing. The undergraduate students were provided with pigskin, needle drivers and sutures as SOSA committee members guided them throughout the process.

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