Spice up your CE

Imagine spaghetti without the oregano. Or chicken soup without the chicken stock. Can anyone spell bland? You have the same problem if you try to serve up continuing education without a dash of fun. If you're missing this critical ingredient, use these recipes to add a little flavor to your CE.

Recipe No. 1: Mystery photo

INGREDIENTS

• 1 or more mystery photos

• Answer sheets

• 1 or more keen-eyed contestants

PREP TIME

10 to 15 minutes

DIRECTIONS

Select a few images you'd like your team to identify. Keep in mind you could use standard photos, radiographs, or microscopic images. Number the items and hang them on a bulletin board in the break room. Provide answer sheets and ask everyone in the practice to guess what's in each image.

Update your CE menus, Offer the right utensils

SERVING SUGGESTION

To cut your prep time, search medical journals for images you could use. Provide an incentive by entering the submissions with the most correct answers in a drawing for a small prize.

Recipe No. 2: Practice feud

INGREDIENTS

• 1 list of questions

• 2 teams (maximum of six people per team)

• 1 colorful host

PREP TIME

One to three hours, depending on the number of rounds you'll play and the difficulty of the questions you prepare

DIRECTIONS

Think Family Feud. The host will compile a list of questions with multiple correct answers. For example, what are five signs of poor nutrition? When it's time to play the game, divide your participants into two teams. If the group is larger, ask team members to nominate two teams with five or six players each.

Dish up some experts

Toss a coin to determine which team starts first. Ask each player to name one answer to the question. When a player gives a wrong answer, play moves to the other team. Each round takes about 10 minutes and requires about five questions.

SERVING SUGGESTION

Recruit the entire team to create the questions. For example, next time a drug representative gives a presentation, pass out note cards at the end and ask everyone to write two or three questions based on what they learned. It's a great way to review the information you learned and it saves prep time.

Recipe No. 3: Vet Jeopardy

INGREDIENTS

• About 30 questions and answers

• 1 witty host

• 3 shrewd contestants

• 3 bells (may substitute one volunteer spotter)

PREP TIME

One to three hours, depending on the number of rounds you'll play and difficulty of the questions you prepare

DIRECTIONS

You guessed it. It's just like the TV game show. Attach note cards with the right answer on one side and point values on the other to a bulletin board. Write the corresponding clues on separate cards for the host. For a standard game, plan six categories with five questions per category. For a shorter game, halve the ingredients.

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Remember, you'll want easy and hard questions for each category with graduated point values. Try using different color cards for each category to make the answers easier to organize. Have a little fun naming the categories. For example, a category on fecal exams might be called, "The Scoop on Poop."

To play, toss a coin to determine which contestant starts. The contestant will pick a category and a point value. For example, "I'll take Potent Potables for $100, Alex." Your host reads the clue and the contestant who rings in first must provide the answer. Use bells or a volunteer spotter to identify who rings in first to answer the question. The contestant with the highest score at the end of the game wins.

Recipe No. 4: Spelling bee

INGREDIENTS

• At least 10 words

• 2 or more players

• 1 linguaphile host

PREP TIME

10 to 15 minutes to gather the words and double-check the correct spellings

DIRECTIONS

This calorie-free treat is a great tool to help you digest such commonly misspelled words as diarrhea, fluorescein stain, Borrelia burgdorferi, and hemorrhagic gastroenteritis.

The host collects at least 10 words, including their parts of speech and their definitions. The contestant must correctly spell the word. If the contestant can't spell the word correctly, her opponent gets a chance to tackle it.

SERVING SUGGESTION

Distribute copies of the answer key after the meeting so team members can review any words they missed.

SERVING SUGGESTION

Remember, the key to jeopardy is that the answer is phrased as a question. For example, if the clue was, "This external parasite may transmit the bacterium that causes Lyme disease" the answer would be, "What is a tick?"

Add some garnish

To sweeten the deal, our CE chefs recommend creating a small prize budget. Keep an eye out for inexpensive items you can add to your prize collection. Even a small token, such as a $5 gift card to the local coffee shop, adds an incentive and creates a sense of anticipation about the game.

Ready to whip up your own batch of CE? Choose the right recipe for your practice team and enlist co-workers to help with the prep work. And don't forget the most important ingredient: fun!

Heather Kirkwood is a freelance writer in Overland Park, Kan. Please send comments to firstline@advanstar.com