Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a source where Sputum Bowl equipment can be purchased?
Yes. There are probably several good companies. Here are two. The AARC does NOT endorse the following companies. No one involved in Sputum Bowl has a financial stake in these companies.
#1. eNasco has been in business since the mid 1940’s. They sell many types of education and classroom equipment. Among this equipment are the following.
- Plunger type buzzer systems (wired and wireless): $400–$700
- Scoreboards (wired and wireless): $400–$800
- Timers: $37–$600
Go to www.enasco.com and in the keyword search enter the word “challenger” “scoreboard” or “timer”
Contact by phone at 1-800-558-9595
#2. www.buzzersystem.com
This system has an advantage over the eNasco system.
- Only one light will come on as the teams respond. (The system from eNasco lights up a light for the first, second, and third person who responds and the first person’s light flashes.)
- May be cheaper.
For information, answers to questions, and to order, call.309 224 9945.
What divisions are in the Sputum Bowl?The national contest is divided into two divisions: practitioners and students. The student division started in 2004. Each state can send two teams to the nationals. One team would be practitioners. The other team would be students.
Information on Student Sputum Bowl teams
How is a Student Sputum Bowl team comprised?
A student team is 100% students. Any 2–4 students can make up a team. All contestants MUST be AARC members.
Student teams will only play other student teams at the national contest. In 2011, 19 student teams entered the national contest.
Is your state obligated to provide you with a “students only” state contest?
No.
Can the student team be from more than one program, i.e., The Minneapolis Respiratory Care Program and the St. Paul Respiratory Care Program?
Yes – Student teams can even be from different states.
As a student, can you play on a practitioner team?
Yes. But practitioners cannot play on student teams.
What is a student?
Any person who is enrolled in an AMA approved-CoARC accredited program. You are classified as a student from the day you enter the Respiratory Care program until the end of the calendar year of the year you graduate. So, if you graduate in May of 2012, you are a student until December 31, 2012. If you become an RRT in the meantime, Congratulations. You are still a student.
If you have been Certified by the NBRC for the past 20 years…and now you are back in school to become a graduate therapist…Are you a student or a CRT?
You are a student. (and a CRT)
Information for Student and Practitioner Divisions
Do Sputum Bowl team members get free national convention registration?
No.
Do I have to pay the registration fee at the national convention in order to participate in Sputum Bowl?
No.
Do I have to pay the registration fee at the national convention in order to participate in Sputum Bowl and to obtain continuing education or attend the exhibits?
Yes,
Can we just show up at the national contest and enter?
No. The AARC must be contacted several months in advance. For deadlines, contact Annette Phillips at 972-406-4653.
How many questions do we have to send in?
Written - NONE. Visual - 15.
How can I obtain a set of National Sputum Bowl contest rules?
Rules are posted on this website location. Or, in case your state runs the contest in a different manner…contact your state president and/or your state Sputum Bowl coordinator. Every state runs a contest a little differently. The state contest does not need to be a copy of the national contest. Once you have become the team that will represent your state at the nationals, the state Sputum Bowl coordinator should provide you with the national rules.
Problems with obtaining the national rules, contact Debbie Hendrickson djhendrickson@charter.net or contact Annette Phillips at 972-406-4653. If you need national deadlines, question requirements, rules, etc., call Debbie Hendrickson. She is the chair of the National Sputum Bowl committee. Phone 608-222-0413
Does the AARC pay the convention expenses for the Sputum Bowl teams?
No.
Do Sputum Bowl team members get CEU's for contest participation?
No, but we wish you did.
Is there someone I can call at the AARC to complain about the way national Sputum Bowl is handled?
No…Well, OK…if you want to express your concerns, comments, criticisms, and ideas, call Debbie or Annette. Some of the best changes over the years started at the state level. The National Committee has long believed that Sputum Bowl is a game. Sputum Bowl is your chance to learn something about Respiratory Care and yourself. There are no losers.
State Contests
At the state level, how do I participate?
Contact the president of your state society. The president will tell you who is running your state's contest. Contact that person. If no one is running the state contest you can volunteer.
How does the AARC communicate with the state Sputum Bowl teams?
About three months after a national contest, the updated directions and suggestions for "How to run a state Sputum Bowl," are sent to one of the following persons in each state: 1) the state president or 2) the person that the AARC has been told is running the Sputum Bowl for that state. Call person 1 or 2.
If you are a state Sputum Bowl coordinator in distress, is there anyone you can call or email at the national level?
Yes. Debbie Hendrickson for national concerns.
djhendrickson@charter.net 608-222-0413
If you just need to talk about problems at the state contest level, call or e-mail Jim Ciolek at 817-515-6585. Cell 817 648 9207.
Does a bank of questions exist that you can obtain on short notice to use at your state’s Sputum Bowl?
No. As of 2005, the AARC national committee will NOT provide you with emergency questions. However, you are encouraged to network with other affiliate states. So, if you are in Texas, and you need questions in a hurry…Go to Google or contact Annette Phillips at 972-406-4653. Locate information about the…Missouri Society for Respiratory Care. Call that state’s President. Ask who the Sputum Bowl coordinator is. Call the coordinator and ask if he/she is willing to help you out. If Missouri won’t help you, Maybe Utah or New York will. Good luck.
How is the team that represents a state chosen to be the representative team of that state at the national AARC convention?
The AARC National Sputum Bowl Committee does not involve itself in this state decision. Most states have a Sputum Bowl contest at their state convention. The winner of the state contest goes to the nationals. Some states have large contests due to a long tradition of state Sputum Bowl. Other states have a smaller amount of interest and will gladly approve a team of respiratory therapists who wish to enter the nationals. Call your state’s president.
However, the state can appoint a team, raffle-off the honor, sell the "right to represent,” arm wrestle, flip a coin, play poker, or use any means that the affiliate state wishes to arrive at the decision of who the state Sputum Bowl team will be. The state president can simply appoint a team. Often, a state champion team will not be able to go the national contest because of work/time conflicts. The state can be represented by any two to four AARC members willing to represent that state who will be attending the national convention.
Is there someone I can call at the AARC to complain about the way a State Sputum Bowl is handled?
No.
Can I live and work in one state and represent another state at the National
Sputum Bowl?
The national committee does not address this issue. This is a state issue. It would be up to the state to make this decision. There is no rule. Certain Respiratory Therapists live in an area that is close to a state border. You can live in Covington, Kentucky and practice in Cincinnati, Ohio, or live in Kansas City, Missouri, and walk across certain streets to your job in Kansas City, Kansas. (The only requirement is that the team from each state that comes to the national contest be made up of AARC members.)
Does the individual state
help with the costs associated with being in the national contest?
Varies by state from some help to none.
Problems? Contact Annette Phillips at 972-406-4653.
