Consider a Career in Sleep Technology

Many of us know someone who has passed away in the middle of the night. Perhaps it was an acquaintance, a co-worker, a teacher, or somebody's best friend.

For most of us we close our eyes at night and open them the next day, not even thinking about what just happened in the last seven to nine hours. But for people with serious medical conditions, going to sleep is a nightly battle to survive through the night. For spouses and significant others, many loose sleep themselves by keeping a silent vigil through the night to ensure their partners are still breathing the next day. But did you know that there are a special group of highly trained professionals whose business it is to watch over you while you sleep?

"Some must watch while some must sleep" is not just a book authored by William C. Dement, the father of modern Sleep Medicine. For those of us in sleep, it is a way of life. The number of Registered Sleep Technologists in the world today pales to the number of Registered Nurses. According the the Board of Registered Polysomnography Technologists, currently there are over 10,000 sleep technologists registered in the world today. This may not seem impressive on a global scale but when you consider that in the nearly thirty years of this profession, that number doubled only in the last six years, the message is quite clear. The demand of highly trained Sleep Technologists is desperately in need as hundreds of Sleep Disorders Centers answer the call of a sleep deprived nation.

The old-school of getting into Sleep Technology used to be just to cross over from another health specialty such as Nursing, Respiratory, Neurodiagnostic technology, Emergency Medicine, EKG Monitoring, or just about any health care specialty could train on the job in Sleep. Today all Sleep Centers accredited by American Academy of Sleep Medicine must employ Registered Sleep Technologists, and those not registered must be actively in a training program. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine along with the Board of Registered Sleep Technologists and the American Association of Sleep Technologists collaborated to set new education standards in the field of Sleep Technology. For a limited time, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine is offering a Sleep Technology training program through a series of on-line courses called the A-Step program. But after 2012, even if you are a Registered Nurse, or Registered Respiratory Therapist, the only path to Sleep Technology will be to go through a college based, accredited Polysomnography program.

But before one even delves into the books and training, the most important question one must consider in this career is: "What is Sleep Technology and is it right for me?" To most of us, sitting in front of a computer for ten to twelve hours watching waveforms roll by on a monitor may sound sleep inducing in and of itself, but to most sleep technologists it is like watching a suspense thriller and you find yourself at the edge of your seat asking yourself, "What is going to happen next?" The waveforms themselves may resemble some bizarre cryptic message, but to a trained Sleep Technologists it gives them a plethora of valuable information from the numorous electronic sensors that must be placed on the head, torso, legs, and finger for monitoring oxygen. All this information will either confirm or denying a night-time sleep disorder and sometimes other dangerous medical conditions. It is an active job involving a diligent eye and aggressive documentation on a minute-by-minute basis.

One must also consider another important factor in a career in sleep technology. The reality of sleep is majority of the population sleeps at night therefore this is primarily a night-only profession. Therefore it requires a special group of people who can tolerate the abuse of night-shift work. You will also be classified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as "High Risk" for drowsy driving and fall-asleep crashes. However, many Sleep Technologists are night-owls by nature and adapt whom work either a three 12 hour shift or four 10 hour shift per week. Sleeping mostly happens during the day and some sleep technologist also maintain the same sleep schedule on their days off as their days on. A healthy life style combined with high nutrient foods and exercise is a must not just off your shift but on your shift to keep up your energy up during the night, and stretching to prevent dangerous clots from developing in your legs which can happen from sitting in the same position for several hours.

After a few years, if night shift starts taking a toll on your body and life, rest assured that nowadays most Sleep Centers also now employ a small crew of one to a couple of day Sleep Technologists to perform day tests on Shift-Workers and nap tests for people afflicted with extreme daytime sleepiness, particularly those in driving professions. Day Sleep Technologists also maintain equipment, order lab supplies, train new staff and Fellows, and most importantly process, or 'score', the overnight sleep studies and prepare them for the Sleep Specialist, a physician trained and boarded in the field of Sleep Medicine whom will interpret the data and diagnose the patient. Sleep Technologists are also highly encouraged to get involved in organizations such as the American Association of Sleep Technologists. They also sit on committees, are involved in training, community education, legislation, management, consulting, recruiting, business, journalism, research, software development, technology, and medical equipment sales.

But the best reason to become a sleep technologist, is the patient. Because the need for sleep effects everyone from newborns to elderly, you get to meet many different people from different ages and backgrounds. More importantly, because you will never get more than two patients in any one night, there is time to get to know your patient, their concerns and that of other family members'. So whether you are in high school considering a career path, or the business executive looking to change your career path, why not? Go ahead, get into sleep.