PolysomnographicTechnologist II

Job Summary

Under general supervision of clinical director (M.D. or D.O.) or designee, provides comprehensive evaluation and treatment of sleep disorders which may involve polysomnography, in-lab and ambulatory diagnostic and therapeutic services, patient care, care coordination, and patient instruction.

Essential Responsibilities

• Collects, analyzes and integrates patient information to identify and meet patient-specific needs (physical/mental limitations, emotional/physiological status regarding testing procedure, medical/social history), and determine testing and post sleep diagnosis parameters/procedures in conjunction with ordering physician or clinical director and laboratory protocols.
• Completes and verifies documentation. Explains pre-testing, testing, and post-testing procedures to patient.
• Prepares, calibrates, and initializes polysomnographic and ambulatory equipment to determine proper functioning.
• Applies electrodes and sensors according to accepted published standards.
• Performs appropriate physiologic calibrations to ensure proper signals. Adjustments, and re-instructs the ambulatory patient if necessary.
• Follows lights out procedures to establish and document baseline values (body position, oxyhemoglobin saturation, respiratory and heart rates, etc.).
• Documents routine observations, including sleep stages and clinical events, changes in procedure, and significant events to facilitate scoring and interpretation of polysomnographic and ambulatory results.
• Implements appropriate interventions (including actions necessary for patient safety and therapeutic intervention such as continuous and bi-level positive airway pressure, oxygen administration, etc.
• Follows study initiation and ending procedures to verify integrity of collected data and complete data collection process (repeats physiological and instrument calibrations and instructs patient on completing questionnaires, etc.).
• Facilitates and performs difficult and unusual ambulatory, polysomnographic, and therapeutic processes, and interventions per the scope of practice.
• Responds to study patients procedural-related inquiries by providing appropriate information.
• Scores polysomnographic sleep/wake stages by applying professionally accepted guidelines.
• Scores, tabulates, and reports sleep/wake, and clinically significant respiratory, cardiac, limb movements, and arousal events according to laboratory specific protocols.
• Performs ambulatory home sleep studies, MSLTs, MWTs, PAP and other studies per scope of practice.
• Able to instruct patients on the use and maintenance of Positive Airway Pressure (PAP); performs mask fitting,compliance monitoring and mitigates issues together with the patients healthcare team.
• Performs patient follow up for CPAP compliance.
• Performs equipment fleet inventory and maintenance. Evaluates, mitigates, and documents sleep study related equipment and inventory issues. Follows trouble-shooting procedures and assists with repair and replace of equipment.
• Performs the quarterly QA scoring reliability of scorers and sleep technologists.
• Participates in established Quality Assurance, Improvement and Assessment Programs.
• Participates in the application and maintenance of sleep laboratory accreditation/re-accreditation process, as requested.
• Orients and trains new-hires Techs and other staff as requested.
• Complies with Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) Standards of Conduct.
• Meets annual continuing education requirements.