Pediatric EEG Technician - Non-Registered

Erlanger Health System•Chattanooga, TN

About The Position

The EEG Technician, non-registered, is responsible for operating EEG equipment to measure and record brain electrical activity, primarily for diagnosing epileptic/seizure disorders. This role involves performing various neurodiagnostic procedures ordered by physicians, including Routine, STAT, LTM, and EMU EEGs. The technician will obtain and document patient medical history, explain testing procedures, prepare patients, and perform the procedures while ensuring adherence to established electrodiagnostic and lab standards. A key responsibility is identifying and reporting critical findings to physicians, which includes monitoring continuous and long-term EEG studies. This monitoring requires the ability to identify clinical and sub-clinical seizures, normal variants, epileptiform and non-epileptiform activity, and artifacts, and to take corrective actions. The role also involves maintaining patient and department documentation, providing first aid for patients exhibiting seizure signs, and working in an epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) setting. This includes correct placement of non-invasive electrodes and monitoring EMU and ICU-EEG patients. Troubleshooting EEG recordings for quality, making corrections, performing impedance checks, and detecting salt bridges are also essential. The technician must demonstrate appropriate clinical skill and reasoning during EEG procedures, such as deciding on activations and optimizing study quality. The position requires comfort and skill in engaging with children of various ages and developmental stages, communicating effectively with parents, and understanding the complexities of working with children who may have genetic syndromes, autism, or other developmental disorders. Specific challenges include placing electrodes on a wide range of patient sizes, from premature infants to adult individuals, and understanding that typical glues used for adults cannot be used on infants and young children, requiring different pastes and materials to avoid scalp injury. Recognizing EEG patterns specific to children of various developmental stages that require notification of a neurologist in real-time or notation during the exam is also crucial. The technician performs these functions with limited direct supervision, depending on their competency, comfort level, and skillset.

Requirements

High School diploma or equivalent.
Enrollment in CAAHEP accredited or approved neurodiagnostic technician program within 1 year of hire, with completion of EEG training courses/curriculum within 3 years of hire.
At least one year experience in patient a care position or other related field in which they have had customer support, customer success, client relations or support services
BLS completed prior to going to the unit/ department and maintained going forward
Registered EEG Technician within the 5 years of hire (will extend 1 year for failed attempt)

Nice To Haves

Associate�s degree in healthcare-related program.
One year experience in field of Pediatrics or Neurodiagnostic
Associate of Science Degree, Bachelor of Science Degree
Comfort and skill required to engage with children of many ages across different developmental stages, in addition to communicating effectively with their concerned parents.
Effective communications and explanations of what is being done to perform the study are critical.
Developing comfort with children with various genetic syndromes, autism, and other developmental disorders, in addition to general complexities of working with young children who may have difficulty cooperating or complying with instructions.
Learning how to place electrodes on a wide range of patient sizes, from premature infants, who may weigh 2 pounds or less, with very small heads, all the way up to adult sized individuals.
Neonatal EEG studies are especially complex to set up and run.
Understanding that typical glues used to attach EEG electrodes to adult heads often cannot be used on small infants and young children.
Different pastes and other materials may be required to apply electrodes to avoid significant injury to scalp and skin.
Learning to recognize EEG patterns specific to children of various developmental stages that require notification of the neurologist in real time or notation as to timing during the exam.

Responsibilities

Operates EEG equipment which measures and records electrical activity of brain, primarily to assist in diagnosis of epileptic/seizure disorders.
Performs neurodiagnostic procedures ordered by physicians to include Routine, STAT, LTM, EMU EEGs.
Obtains/documents patient�s medical history, explains testing procedure, prepares patient for procedure and performs procedure
Ensuring adherence to established electrodiagnostic and lab standards (per standard policy manual).
Identifies and reports critical findings to physician.
Monitoring of continuous and long-term EEG studies including but not limited to: reviewing/watching ongoing studies, demonstrating ability to identify and recognize clinical and sub-clinical seizures, normal variants, recognizing and understanding significance of inter-ictal epileptiform and non-epileptiform activity, and correctly identifying various types of artifacts and taking the appropriate action to correct.
Maintaining patient and department related documentation
Knowledge and ability to provide appropriate first aid to patients exhibiting signs of seizure.
Work in epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) setting including correct placement of non-invasive electrodes and monitoring EMU patients
Placement of non-invasive electrodes and monitoring long term ICU-EEG studies (may be referred to as critical care monitoring)
Effectively troubleshooting EEG (record) for quality and making appropriate corrections to maintain quality, including impedance checks and detecting salt bridges.
Demonstrating appropriate clinical skill and reasoning when performing, an EEG such as whether or not to perform activations, and optimizing the quality of the study.
Performs routine in-patient and out-patient EEG studies
Sets up and operates long term video EEG studies
Notifies higher classified technicians and/or physician technologists of issues in accordance with operating protocol for seizures.
Recognizes and identifies key differences between epileptic and non-epileptic events
Provides or assists in providing appropriate first aid for seizure events.