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Summary

The Medical Instrument Technician (Polysomnography) position is located at The Greater Los Angeles Veterans Administration Healthcare System (GLAVAHS).

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• 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
• 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 also 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: Each 30-second epoch is classified as Wake - NREM Stage N1 - N2 - N3 (deep sleep) - or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep by evaluating brain activity (EEG) - eye movements (EOG) - and chin muscle tone (EMG)
• Respiratory Events: The scorer identifies and tallies abnormal breathing - including: Apnea: A complete or near-complete cessation of airflow lasting at least 10 seconds
• Hypopnea: A partial reduction in airflow followed by an arousal or a drop in oxygen levels
• Arousals: Sudden shifts in brain wave activity indicating brief interruptions in sleep
• Leg Movements: Identification of periodic leg movements (PLMD) - which may cause sleep fragmentation
• Heart Rhythm: Analysis of electrocardiogram (EKG) for cardiac rhythm abnormalities
• Oxygen Saturation: The level of oxygen in the blood - identifying times of desaturation (drops)