Few people have a more central role in sleep medicine than the sleep tech.
What is a sleep technician orsleep technologist?
What sort of job training is required to become a sleep tech?
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What Is a Sleep Tech?
Most sleep techs work overnight.
They arrive before the patient and prepare for the nights study.
This is an excellent opportunity to educate the patient about sleep.
If the patient needs to get up, the tech will assist.
In the morning, the wires are removed and cleaned.
Some sleep techs work during the day.
Their job responsibilities may include waking patients who sleep in, conducting daytime sleep studies, or reviewing data.
This review is called scoring.
It may take several hours to review each polysomnogram.
Sleep stages are identified on theelectroencephalogram (EEG).
Breathing abnormalities such as snoring, hypopneas, and apnea are marked.
Leg movements that may occur in periodic limb movement syndrome are counted.
These results are summarized in a report that is reviewed and approved by a sleep physician.
Depending on your location, the required training may vary.
Most sleep techs have a high school education but some have specialized technical training.
Some training is on the job, under the supervision of experienced personnel.
There is a certification examination to become a registered polysomnographic technologist (PSGT).
Most are paid hourly and may receive extra pay for working overnight shifts.
In general, sleep techs make a comparable salary to other skilled healthcare technicians.
The median salary in 2016 within the United States was reported to be $51,790.
It is an important and satisfying career for those who have a passion for helping people to sleep better.
