A record number of physician assistant students from across North Carolina participated in the seventh annual NCAPA Student Medical Challenge Bowl on Saturday, May 11. Thirty-six students from five PA programs in the state competed on four randomly selected inter-collegiate teams.
The Challenge Bowl is a Jeopardy-style game with two rounds of play, each with five categories of questions ranging in point values from 5-25 points, with a number of “daily doubles” thrown in. Buzzer technique and strategic wagering on Final Jeopardy are key, as is phrasing the answer in the form of a question. Question categories included neurology, dermatology, anatomy, physical exam, PA history, cardiology, pulmonary, EENT, musculoskeletal, and gastroenterology.
Samantha Rogers, chair of NCAPA’s Student Affairs Committee, served as the MC for the tournament. Cathie Feild, NCAPA Interim Executive Director, was the scorekeeper and Lee Busselman, Membership Coordinator, served as buzzer-master.
The four teams, who chose their own names, were the Gubernawlums, the Hemoglobin Trotters, the Rebound Tenderness, and the X-Rays. Despite a variety of technical difficulties, questionable calls by the referees, and buzzer mishaps, all players maintained their equanimity and displayed great sportsmanship. SEE PHOTOS
Although the Hemoglobin Trotters dominated Round 1, the Gubernawlums walked away with first place in the game, thanks to a correct answer and smart wager in the Final Jeopardy. The Rebound Tenderness did indeed rebound, taking advantage of the Final Jeopardy to catapult from low-scoring team into second place. Ultimately, the Hemoglobin Trotters made do with third place honors, with the X-Rays coming in fourth.
The game was fun, challenging, and educational (especially the PA History category!) Perhaps the best part was the opportunity to meet fellow PA students from the various North Carolina PA programs and get to know a little about each other. A number of the participants in this year’s NCAPA Challenge Bowl plan to put their state-level experience to good use as they compete in the AAPA Challenge Bowl later this month.
Students participating in this year’s Challenge Bowl included: Brandon Alspaugh, ECU; Daniell Beneville, Campbell; Dan Bertrams, Wake Forest; Christi Blake, Duke; Beth Bowman, Wake Forest; Libby Buckler, Wake Forest; Rachael Desai, Campbell; Crews Edens, ECU; Kara Ezrin, Duke; Ivan Friant, Methodist; Kim Friesema, Campbell; Kate Fryman, Campbell; Courtney Fritz, Duke; Julie Gupton, Wake Forest; Anna Hamon, Wake Forest; Lauren Harrington, Duke; Steward Harsant, Methodist; Jennifer Hartung, Methodist; Danielle Hunt, Campbell; Maryam Khyami, Methodist; Tia Lea, Wake Forest; Hao Meng, Methodist; Cassandra Montoya, Methodist; Trishey Nelson, ECU; Andrew Nida, Campbell; Danielle Perkins, Wake Forest; Anastasia Renz, Methodist; Keith Roberts, Methodist; Yuridia Rosario, Methodist; Sunny Sawyer, Campbell; Sarah Spainhour-Reese, Duke; Lidia Starr, Campbell; Jesse Tien, Campbell; Ian Ward, Methoidst; Josh Waynick, Wake Forest; and Rolanda Wenger, Duke.
