American Career College-Ontario recently hosted and participated in the 2025 Sputum Bowl Competition, an academic contest that challenges respiratory care students to demonstrate their knowledge and expertise.
This year’s regional event featured two competing schools — American Career College and Crafton Hills College — with four teams in total, two from each school.
“We had two teams that we’ve been working with over the last couple of weeks,” ACC-Ontario RT Program Director Sam Agrigoroae said. “The students volunteer to participate, and their grades play a role in their selection. Our first team was the ‘Cough It Up Crew,’ and the second was the ‘Phlegm Fighters,’ with four students on each team. Of the two the ‘Cough It Up Crew’ advanced to the finals.”
Testing Students Beyond the Classroom
The Sputum Bowl provides students with a platform to apply their knowledge in a high-pressure, competitive environment. Beyond testing respiratory care knowledge, the competition encourages students to sharpen their problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
Winners of the regional competition advance to the state-level contest at the California Society for Respiratory Care Conference, held at Pechanga Casino & Resort in March. From there, state champions move on to compete nationally at the American Association for Respiratory Care conference, which will take place in Arizona this year.
Building Skills for Future Success
The Sputum Bowl offers more than just a chance to win — it’s a valuable experience that helps students build skills for their future careers.
“It’s always a great experience for our students and something they can look back on after graduation as an achievement and include on their resumes,” Agrigoroae shared.
