HSU Physician Assistant program competes in National Medical Challenge Bowl

(ABILENE, Texas)–On Monday, May 20, HSU’s Physician Assistant program participated in the 29th annual National Medical Challenge Bowl in Denver, Colorado. They were among the 36 teams that advanced to the national stage to compete. Of those 36 teams, the HSU PA program was the only team representing Texas.

HSU team members pose in front of the stage

Since 1991, the National Medical Challenge Bowl has been held during the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) yearly PA Conference. The event allows programs from all around the country to gather and answer questions to test their knowledge of topics within the medical profession they are working toward.

The teams began by answering multiple questions on the main screen with an Audience Response System (ARS) keypad. The 36 highest-scoring teams progressed to the on-stage rounds, which involved answering free response questions.

According to the AAPA’s website, teams were questioned on a variety of topics, “including physical diagnosis, microbiology, anatomy, OB/GYN, pulmonary, cardiology, primary care, emergency medicine and surgery.”

The National Medical Challenge Bowl benefits all teams with practice, regardless of whether they win or not. “Practicing and studying for the event definitely will make them all more confident when taking high-stakes examinations in the future,” said Dr. Jennifer Eames, director of the Physician Assistant program and associate professor. “Thousands were present to witness HSU on the stage for the first time and really took notice of our outstanding performance. It was our first time competing but it won’t be our last.”