Facility

Cape Fear Valley Medical Center

Location

Fayetteville, North Carolina

Department

Job Family

Allied Health

Work Shift

Days (United States of America)

Summary

Operates under the general supervision of the Medical Director (M.D., D.O., or PhD) or an appointed designee. Provides comprehensive evaluation and treatment for sleep disorders, which may include conducting polysomnography, offering diagnostic and therapeutic services and delivering patient care and education. The extern is permitted to perform the duties of a Polysomnographic Technologist, but only under the direct supervision of a Registered Polysomnographic Technologist.

Major Job Functions

The following is a summary of the major essential functions of this job.  The incumbent may perform other duties, both major and minor, that are not mentioned below.  In addition, specific functions may change from time to time:

• Review patient’s history, verify medical order, verify identification, collect documents, and obtain consent for procedures
• Explain the procedure and orient the patient to the sleep center
• Prepare and calibrate equipment required for testing to determine proper functioning and adjust, if necessary
• Apply electrodes and sensors according to accepted published standards
• Assist with following “lights out” procedures to establish and document baseline values
• Perform positive airway pressure (PAP) mask fitting
• Assist and observe polysomnography data acquisition
• Document routine observations, including sleep stages and clinical events, changes in procedure, and other significant events to facilitate scoring and interpretation of polysomnography results
• Assist with following "lights on" procedures to verify the integrity of collected data and complete the data collection process
• Perform routine polysomnography data acquisition while monitoring study-tracing quality to ensure signals are artifact-free
• Perform patient education and instruction appropriate for home sleep testing
• Assist with routine equipment care and maintenance and inventory evaluation
• Other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

The following qualifications, or equivalents, are the minimum requirements necessary to perform the essential functions of this job:

Education and Formal Training: 

• High school diploma or equivalent required

• 1 year of post-secondary education in an accredited educational program leading to an Associate’s degree in a health-related field with an emphasis in polysomnography required

• BLS required

• Must be enrolled in AASM A-Step online education modules or education program

• Must be scheduled to sit for RPSGT exam within 6 months of completion of education program or education modules

Work Experience: 

• 6 months of direct patient care experience required

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required: 

• Proficiency in recognizing sleep vs. wake and identify clinical events while monitoring sleep study patients

• Knowledge and skills necessary to recognize and provide age specific care and treatment, assessment, and education of neonatal, pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients

• Knowledge and skills necessary to perform home sleep studies equipment preparation and data download

• Ability to identify artifact, inadequate signals and study failures in home sleep studies

• Computer proficiency, effective communication, social skills, and excellent customer service

• Critical thinking skills and follow directions accurately

• Strong teamwork capabilities

• Develops competency in and performs the basics of polysomnography testing and associated interventions under direct supervision Registered Sleep Technologist

Physical Requirements: 

• Frequently required to stand

• Use hands to finger, handle, or feel

• Reach with hands and arms

• Climb or balance

• Talk or hear

• Occasionally required to walk, sit, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl

• Regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds