Sleep Disorders Technologist Trainee (.9 FTE)

Billings Clinic•Billings, MT

19h•Onsite

About The Position

Under direct supervision of a sleep technologist, the sleep trainee develops competency in and performs basic sleep testing procedures and associated interventions. This role involves preparing patients for sleep studies, performing the studies, monitoring data acquisition, and assisting with interventions. The trainee will gain knowledge of sleep medicine and disorders, assist with equipment care, and adhere to quality assurance policies. Billings Clinic is Montana’s largest health system serving Montana, Wyoming and the western Dakotas. A not-for-profit organization led by a physician CEO, the health system is governed by a board of community members, nurses and physicians. Billings Clinic includes an integrated multi-specialty group practice, tertiary care hospital and trauma center, based in Billings, Montana.

Requirements

High School diploma or GED required
Enrolled in ASTEP Sleep Training program
Staff hired to work at locations other than the main Billings Clinic campus will be required to complete their initial didactic training at the main sleep lab in Billings.
Orientation period will be a minimum of three (3) weeks at forty (40) hours per week.
Completion of initial didactic training examination at end of 3 week course
Completion of online sleep training modules within 3 months of didactic course completion
Completion and holder of Certified Polysomnographic Technician (CPSGT) within 6 months of completion of didactic course

Nice To Haves

6 months of direct patient care experience preferred

Responsibilities

Reviews patient's history and verifies medical order.
Verifies patient identification, collects documents, and obtains consent for sleep study.
Explains procedure and orients patient for either in-lab or home sleep testing.
Selects appropriate equipment and calibrates for testing to determine proper functioning and makes adjustments, if necessary.
Applies electrodes and sensors according to accepted publishing standards.
Follows a variety of standard procedural protocols for sleep disorders testing to ensure collection of appropriate data.
Performs appropriate physiological calibrations to ensure proper signals and makes required adjustments.
Follows "lights out" procedures to establish and document baseline values (such as body position, oxyhemoglobin saturation, respiratory and heart rates, etc).
Performs data acquisition while monitoring study-tracing quality to ensure signals are artifact-free.
Identifies, corrects, and documents artifact.
Documents routine observations, including sleep stages and clinical events, changes in procedure, and other significant events in order to facilitate scoring and interpretation of polysomnographic results.
Assists with appropriate interventions (including actions necessary for patient safety and therapeutic intervention such as positive airway pressure, oxygen administration, etc).
Follows "lights on" procedure to verify integrity of collected data and complete the data collection process (e.g. repeats the physiological and instrument calibrations and instructs the patient on completing questionnaires, and checks for completeness, etc).
Demonstrates proficiency in recognizing sleep versus wake and identify clinical events while monitoring sleep study patients.
Demonstrates knowledge and skills necessary to perform portable monitoring equipment preparation and data download.
Performs patient education and instruction appropriate for home sleep studies.
Demonstrates adherence to cleaning and disinfection procedures for portable monitoring devices.
Demonstrates ability to identify artifact, inadequate signals, and study failures in portable monitoring.
Gains knowledge of sleep medicine, sleep disorders, and various sleep studies conducted by Billings Clinic Sleep Lab.
Assists with routine equipment care, maintenance, and inventory evaluation.
Considers the appropriateness of care based on the population specific needs of the patient.
Adheres to Sleep Lab policies related to quality assurance.