Medical Instrument Technician (Polysomnography) Fee Basis
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Overview
The Medical Instrument Technician (Polysomnography) is located at The Greater Los Angeles Veterans Administration Healthcare System (GLAVAHS).
Qualifications
Citizenship: US
Citizenship required
Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
Licensure or Certification is not required for this occupation; however, it is strongly desirable with the possession of the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities
Registration by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) is highly desirable
For all specialties identified in this standard, Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support certifications are desirable
Training which doesn\'t result in official certification does not meet this definition
English Proficiency: Proficient in English (written and spoken) is required for patient care positions
Preferred Certification: Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT) - Sleep Disorders Specialty (SDS) - Registered Sleep Technologists (RST) or Basic Life Support (BLS) certifications are highly preferable for employees at this level
Required 1 year Experience: Knowledge of CPAP function and operation to select and fit appropriate PAP patient interface devices
Ability to independently titrate and document PAP level to achieve therapeutic goals
Knowledge of indications, complications, and contraindications of CPAP therapy
Knowledge of Bi-Level pressure titrations
Ability to recognize changes seen during the PSG tracing and identify all stages of sleep
This includes the ability to score and analyze sleep stages in clinical polysomnography recordings
Physical Requirements: See VHA Handbook 5019
Duties
The duties include but are not limited to: Polysomnography (PSG) Scorer reviews and interprets the raw data from a sleep study (polysomnogram) in 30-second increments called epochs
Apply American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) guidelines to classify sleep stages, detect abnormal breathing events, and identify other sleep-related abnormalities
Ability to summarize and report polysomnographic data in narrative form
Core Responsibilities of a PSG Scorer: Data Analysis – Reviewing approximately 1,000 pages (epochs) of data per study
Quality Control: Troubleshooting artifacts (non-sleep activity) to determine if they are actual events or just movement
Report Generation: Compiling the scored data into a comprehensive report for a sleep physician to create a diagnosis and treatment plan
Adherence to Guidelines: Using AASM guidelines such as defining apnea as a 50% or more decrease in airflow for at least 10 seconds with a 3% or 4% oxygen drop
Scoring consists of two passes through the data to define specific metrics: Sleep Stages, Respiratory Events, Arousals, Leg Movements, Heart Rhythm, Oxygen Saturation
Sleep Stages: Each 30-second epoch is classified as Wake, N1, N2, N3, or REM by evaluating EEG, EOG, and EMG
Respiratory Events: The scorer identifies and tallies abnormal breathing including Apnea, Hypopnea
Arousals: Sudden shifts in brain wave activity indicating brief interruptions in sleep
Leg Movements: Identification of periodic leg movements (PLMD)
Heart Rhythm: Analysis of electrocardiogram (EKG) for cardiac rhythm abnormalities
Oxygen Saturation: The level of oxygen in the blood, identifying times of desaturation
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The Medical Instrument Technician (Polysomnography) is located at The Greater Los Angeles Veterans Administration Healthcare System (GLAVAHS).
Qualifications
Citizenship: US
Citizenship required
Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
Licensure or Certification is not required for this occupation; however, it is strongly desirable with the possession of the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities
Registration by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) is highly desirable
For all specialties identified in this standard, Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support certifications are desirable
Training which doesn\'t result in official certification does not meet this definition
English Proficiency: Proficient in English (written and spoken) is required for patient care positions
Preferred Certification: Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT) - Sleep Disorders Specialty (SDS) - Registered Sleep Technologists (RST) or Basic Life Support (BLS) certifications are highly preferable for employees at this level
Required 1 year Experience: Knowledge of CPAP function and operation to select and fit appropriate PAP patient interface devices
Ability to independently titrate and document PAP level to achieve therapeutic goals
Knowledge of indications, complications, and contraindications of CPAP therapy
Knowledge of Bi-Level pressure titrations
Ability to recognize changes seen during the PSG tracing and identify all stages of sleep
This includes the ability to score and analyze sleep stages in clinical polysomnography recordings
Physical Requirements: See VHA Handbook 5019
Duties
The duties include but are not limited to: Polysomnography (PSG) Scorer reviews and interprets the raw data from a sleep study (polysomnogram) in 30-second increments called epochs
Apply American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) guidelines to classify sleep stages, detect abnormal breathing events, and identify other sleep-related abnormalities
Ability to summarize and report polysomnographic data in narrative form
Core Responsibilities of a PSG Scorer: Data Analysis – Reviewing approximately 1,000 pages (epochs) of data per study
Quality Control: Troubleshooting artifacts (non-sleep activity) to determine if they are actual events or just movement
Report Generation: Compiling the scored data into a comprehensive report for a sleep physician to create a diagnosis and treatment plan
Adherence to Guidelines: Using AASM guidelines such as defining apnea as a 50% or more decrease in airflow for at least 10 seconds with a 3% or 4% oxygen drop
Scoring consists of two passes through the data to define specific metrics: Sleep Stages, Respiratory Events, Arousals, Leg Movements, Heart Rhythm, Oxygen Saturation
Sleep Stages: Each 30-second epoch is classified as Wake, N1, N2, N3, or REM by evaluating EEG, EOG, and EMG
Respiratory Events: The scorer identifies and tallies abnormal breathing including Apnea, Hypopnea
Arousals: Sudden shifts in brain wave activity indicating brief interruptions in sleep
Leg Movements: Identification of periodic leg movements (PLMD)
Heart Rhythm: Analysis of electrocardiogram (EKG) for cardiac rhythm abnormalities
Oxygen Saturation: The level of oxygen in the blood, identifying times of desaturation
#J-18808-Ljbffr