Medical Jeopardy

Let me just state right now: I hate playing jeopardy. I have been playing jeopardy in classes in one form or another since I was in grade school and I am so sick of it. Winning a piece of chocolate just isn't worth the chance of looking like a complete idiot in front of your peers by missing a very basic question. (It happens to the best of us...)

I still remember during senior year of high school, my AP American history teacher used to have us play jeopardy before each exam for extra points. I guess only advanced placement classes get to simulate TV game shows. I remember that if we didn't answer in the form of a question, she'd make us rephrase our answer. Even if she had asked in the form of a question:

Teacher: "In what year did they sign the Declaration of Independence?"

Student: "1776."

Teacher: "No, I'll need that in the form of a question."

Student: "Uh... what is 1776?"

See how she totally missed the point of the jeopardy answer/question format? And it's super important to maintain that format in order to preserve the integrity of the game.

Anyway, during my MS3 year, we were playing a game of medical jeopardy with the MS3s and interns against the MS4s and the PGY2s. The intern on my team had just about had it with this ridiculous gunner we had been working with for the last two weeks, and I still remember how amused I was by the following exchange:



For the record, the interns and MS3s won. Maybe medicine residency makes you dumber or perhaps medical jeopardy doesn't actually test knowledge that well. I still remember the answer to the final jeopardy question (or question to the final jeopardy answer): silicosis. That is, What is silicosis?

Is there some point in your life when they stop making you play jeopardy? When I'm 60 years old and an attending, will I still be deciding how much to risk for double jeopardy? God help me if I am.