What is Pimping?

By: Lydia Ghebrezghi

Before reading this article and watching the Instagram video, I didn’t really know what

the term “pimping” meant, but I was familiar with the idea of being asked rapid,

on-the-spot questions in a way that can feel stressful or uncomfortable. Reading about

“toxic quizzing” helped me connect that experience to what actually happens in medical

education. I had always thought that this kind of questioning was just a normal part of

learning, but the article made me realize that it can sometimes go too far and create an

environment that feels more intimidating than helpful. If the focus becomes pointing out

what someone doesn’t know instead of helping them understand, it can hurt confidence

more than support learning.

I can also see why this approach has been used for so long. Being put on the spot can

push students to think quickly and recognize gaps in their knowledge, which is important

in clinical settings. What stood out to me is that there is not much evidence showing that

this kind of pressure actually improves learning. In fact, it might increase anxiety and

make students less likely to participate. That made me think about how important

learning environments are and how easily it can affect whether someone feels

comfortable engaging or asking questions.

What I found most interesting is that questioning itself is not the problem. When it is

done in a supportive way, it can really help students build reasoning skills and

understand concepts more deeply. When it turns into rapid questioning focused on

memorization or hierarchy, it stops being helpful. It becomes more about performance

than learning, which is not the goal.

Overall, this article made me rethink what good teaching should look like in medicine. I

think it is possible to challenge students while still being respectful and supportive. As

someone interested in going into healthcare, this is something I would want to carry with

me by making sure that questioning is used to help people, not to make them feel

ashamed or intimidated.

AMA Citation:

1. Kinnear B, DeCoursey B, Caya T, Baez J, Warm EJ. Things We Do for No

Reason: Toxic quizzing in medical education. J Hosp Med. 2022;17(6):481-484.

doi:10.1002/jhm.12846