On July 12, 2018, 4 teams of 4 sonography students each competed in the inaugural SonoBowl, a game pitting the students’ ultrasound knowledge and skills against each other. Howard Community College (HCC) hosted the event, which the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) sponsored, and teams from Howard Community College; Montgomery College; Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences; and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County participated. Although only 4 students from each team could participate, many more attended to observe.

SonoBowl teams: HCC Sound Dragons are in red (as is their dragon), UMBC Dopplergangers are in black, PA Penguins are in white (4 in front), and MC Ultrasonic are in white (middle and back rows). AIUM staff are in blue.

If you are interested in hosting your own SonoBowl, you’re in luck. AIUM will be sharing instructions on recreating it, enabling schools around the country and abroad to create their own SonoBowl, where sonography students can come together to compete in ultrasound with question-and-answer sessions, scanning, and case challenges. The following is a review of the inaugural  SonoBowl. If you want all of the details, you’ll need a copy of the SonoBowl Playbook. If you are interested in receiving a copy of the SonoBowl Playbook, please let us know (learn@aium.org). AIUM members can access it here: https://www.aium.org/loginrequired/membersonly/sonobowl.aspx.

HCC and AIUM worked together to quickly pull this event together in just 2 months, including 6 conference calls and meetings—planning the itinerary, developing questions and case challenges, inviting teams and registering them, and setting up the event. Development began in May and concluded with the event, which included:

• • Round 1, Who Gives a Kahoot?: 30 multiple-choice questions and 1 bonus multiple-choice question on Kahoots;

• • Round 2, Mission I’m Possible: 3 rounds of scanning testing vascular, obstetric, and abdominal knowledge; and

• Round 3, Have You Hertz About My Case Study?: A case challenge.

Round 1 was a question-and-answer session. Each team was supplied (by HCC) with a tablet to use for answering the questions as quickly as they could, as wins were based on speed as well as accuracy. The questions were developed by AIUM with input from Directors and faculty from the schools.

Round 2, which can be seen in this video, was a hands-on demonstration of the students’ skills. The teams were given 15 minutes at each station, equipped with an ultrasound machine and a model, to complete their task and answer the questions, which were provided on a form in an envelope and could be completed on a provided clipboard. A proctor at each station reviewed the image obtained for the task and indicated on the form whether it was correct and whether the answers to the question were each correct. After 15 minutes, the teams would rotate stations until all teams had competed at each station.

For those students who attended but were not participating, a scavenger hunt was developed to fill this time. The students were randomly divided into 4 teams, each of which included students from each of the schools. Each team was given a campus map and a list hinting at 15 things to find around the campus. They were tasked with answering questions for some and taking a selfie at each to prove they found them. For example, one such hint was “Orange is definitely your color! Take a selfie with your face in the circle,” referring to a sculpture outside one of the buildings. Once Round 2 was complete, a lunch was provided.

Round 3 began with an announcement of where each team stood in the competition; HCC DMS Sound Dragons were in 4th place with 58 points, MC Ultrasonic was in 3rd with 66 points, and
UMBC Dopplergangers and PA Penguins were tied with 74 points each. Knowing how many points they had and the topic of the case study (gynecologic ultrasound), each team then indicated how many points they were willing to wager for the final round. All teams wagered their full points balance.

The teams were given a brief history for a case and shown the ultrasound images associated with it, then were given 1 minute to indicate which of 4 diagnoses was the correct one. After time was up, each team was asked to show their wager, beginning with the last place team, and the scores were adjusted based on their wager and whether they answered correctly. For this inaugural SonoBowl, MC Ultrasonic won the day with 132 points and was awarded the trophy to hold onto until next year’s SonoBowl, when it will be back up for grabs. Each of the winning team’s members also won a free AIUM student membership for a year and an insulated lunch bag containing AIUM gifts.

If you are interested in receiving a copy of the SonoBowl Playbook, please let us know (learn@aium.org). AIUM members can access it here: https://www.aium.org/loginrequired/membersonly/sonobowl.aspx.

The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine is a multidisciplinary medical association of more than 9000 physicians, sonographers, scientists, students, and other health care providers. Established in the early 1950s, the AIUM is dedicated to advancing the safe and effective use of ultrasound in medicine through professional and public education, research, development of guidelines, and accreditation.