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Anesthesia resident gives Wheel of Fortune a spin by Maggie Diebolt Public Relations After 23 years of syndication, Wheel of Fortune is still going strong as evidenced by the audition turnout for the show’s episodes filmed in Charleston. Rayna Clay, M.D., a first-year anesthesia resident, was among more than hundreds of people at Northwoods Mall trying their luck to get a chance to spin the famous wheel.   Clay, a San Francisco native raised in Utah, has watched Wheel of Fortune since she was a child. “We used to watch it all the time as a family,” she said. “I was good at it and my mom always said I should go on it.”   According to the Wheel of Fortune Web site, approximately 3,200 people try out each year and fewer than 500 are selected to appear on the show, which is seen by an estimated 46 million viewers across America each week. After three rounds of tryouts, and a pool of people that dwindled from more than 1,000 to 70 to 25, Clay received a call letting her know that she was to make her game show debut on the renowned program.    “I never realized how long it takes,” Clay remarked about the filming process. “It’s double the amount of time seen on TV. The wheel also seems a lot smaller up close, and it’s really heavy.”   Though Clay was able to attend the filming since she had finished her on-call shift the night before, her medical expertise was needed during filming. One contestant cut his finger on the wheel and another got a nosebleed, two incidents that will likely be hidden by commercial breaks when the show airs. “They said I earned my keep that day,” Clay said.   Clay was cheered on by her mother, best friend and colleagues from her department during the show. “It was neat to have the support from so many people from my department and the OR,” she said. While she could not disclose the show’s final result she did divulge a small clue, “I did well,” she said.   Tune in to see Clay’s performance in the Charleston episode “Vanna Comes Home Week,” which will air on WCBD-TV at 7 p.m. Feb. 21.     Friday, Feb. 16, 2007 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.