KSRC SPUTUM BOWL
RULES OF COMPETITION
When planning for the Sputum Bowl it is important to remember the following:
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The prime objective of the Sputum Bowl is to stimulate interest in the current knowledge and practice
of respiratory care.
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The competition shall be held in a spirit of professionalism and good sportsmanship.
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There are no losers in this contest. All should gain from this experience a greater understanding of
respiratory care and themselves.
1.
Team Composition
a.
A team shall consist of not more than three (3) players. Each team is allowed one (1) alternate player.
b.
The deadline to turn in a team roster is September 14th. Questions are not due until October 2nd.
2.
Questions
a.
Thirty (30) questions must be submitted that represent the expected level of didactic and clinical
proficiency an RCP is expected to possess.
3.
b.
The deadline to submit questions is October 2nd.
c.
All questions must be referenced to the list of textbooks and journals found in Appendix A.
d.
All questions should pertain to one of the categories identified in Appendix B.
e.
Questions must be submitted following the required format:
 Questions should be entered into the Excel spreadsheet and sent via e-mail
 Questions must include the category, question, answer, reference number, and page number.
(See example in Appendix C.)
f.
The following types of questions are unacceptable for Sputum Bowl Competition:
 True/False and Yes/No questions
 Multiple choice questions
 "Fill in the answer” questions
All sputum bowl questions, team roster and documentation should be sent to:
Jim Matchuny
jim.matchuny@kctcs.edu
phone: 859-246-6246
APPENDIX A: REFERENCES FOR SPUTUM BOWL QUESTIONS
1. Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP) Textbook – American Academy of Pediatrics and American Heart Association; John Kattwinkel,
2. AARC Clinical Practice Guidelines. American Association for Respiratory Care. (available at www.aarc.org).
3. BLS for Health Care Providers Student manual, American Heart Association; 2011.
4. ACLS Provider Manual, American Heart Association 2011
5. PALS Provider Manual, American Heart Association 2011
6. Wilkins' Clinical Assessment in Respiratory Care. Heuer AJ & Scanlan CL. Mosby-Elsevier
7. Clinical Blood Gases: Assessment and Intervention. Malley WJ. Saunders-Elsevier
8. Clinical Manifestations and Assessment of Respiratory Disease. DesJardins T & Burton GG. Mosby-Elsevier
9. Oakes, DF. Oakes’ Clinical Practitioner’s Pocket Guide to Respiratory Care. Orano, ME: Health Educator Publications
10.Egan’s Fundamental of Respiratory Care. Wilkins RF, Stoller JK & Kacmarek RM. Mosby-Elsevier
11.Ruppel's Manual of Pulmonary Function Testing. Mottram, C. Mosby-Elsevie
12.Pilbeam's Mechanical Ventilation: Physiological and Clinical Applications. Cairo JM. Mosby-Elsevie
13.Mosby's Respiratory Care Equipment. Cairo JM. Mosby-Elsevier
14.Rau’s Respiratory Care Pharmacology. Gardenhire DS. Mosby-Elsevier
15.Respiratory Care Sciences: An Integrated Approach. Wojciechowski WV.
16.Respiratory Care: The Official Journal of the AARC. From current year of the journal
17.Respiratory Disease: A Case Study Approach to Patient Care. Wilkins RL, Dexter JR, & Gold PM. F.A. Davis
18.Perinatal and Pediatric Respiratory Care. Walsh BK. St. Louis, MO: Saunders-Elsevier
19.Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma, Summary Report current version NAEPP, Expert Panel Report 3.
20.Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management and Prevention of COPD,
20. continued Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) current version.
APPENDIX B: CATEGORIES FOR SPUTUM BOWL QUESTIONS
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Airway Management
Patient Assessment
Mechanical Ventilation
Emergency Care
Gas Therapy
Humidity/Aerosol
Microbiology
Bronchial Hygiene
Diagnostics
Anatomy and Physiology
Pharmacology
Pathology
Chemistry/Physics
Neonatal/Pediatrics
History
Pulmonary Rehab/Home Care
Professional Practice
APPENDIX C: SPUTUM BOWL QUESTION FORMAT (At least 30 questions required)
QUESTIONS MUST BE ENTERED INTO THE SPREADSHEET PROVIDED
 Open the spreadsheet and rename it with your name.
 Enter questions into each field with one row encompassing an entire question.
 The Category column has a pull down menus to make it easier.
 Questions CANNOT be:
 True/False
 “Fill in the blank”
 Multiple Choice
 Visual Questions (At least 3 questions)


The definition of a “visual question” is one that CANNOT be answered without seeing the picture
associated with it.

The photographs submitted do not have to appear directly in the reference but the content of the image
shall have the ability to be referenced to the list of textbooks and journals selected by the Sputum Bowl
Committee (Appendix A).

Subjects for visual images should predominantly be items or scenes a typical respiratory care
practitioner can reasonably be expected to recognize. The visual questions should require recognition or
analysis of the visual image to compose a correct answer and not simply provide a visual background to
a traditional, oral question. Please note the following criteria for visual question preparation:
a. Highly recommended
(1) Interesting scenes of any aspect of the actual practice of respiratory care by RCPs
and/or RCP students.
(2) Realistic, staged illustrations of the practice of respiratory care
b. Acceptable
(1) Items of equipment
(2) Clear technical diagrams
c. Unacceptable
(1) Equations
(2) Slides consisting only of words
(3) Copyrighted photographs or cartoons
Enter the text of the 3 visual questions in the spreadsheet. Send the 3 images in the email with the other
information. Name the images in such a way it will be clear which question it is associated.
QUESTION CHECK LIST
Please use this checklist in order to insure that your team’s questions meet the rules for acceptance
and that you have not forgotten anything: (Note that the deadline to submit questions is Oct 2nd.)
_____ 30 Questions in the correct format, submitted on the excel spreadsheet provided
_____ All questions are referenced according to the required format
_____ No more than 10 questions from one reference
_____ No more than 5 questions from a category
_____ At least 3 visual questions are included in the total of 30 questions