(A career development programme in sleep technology by Indian Society for Sleep Research)
The Indian Society for Sleep Research (ISSR) is organizing the National Sleep Technology Course (NSMC), which will be held on a yearly basis in New Delhi since 2014. The aim of the course is to build a cadre of Polysomnographic Technologists who would become global leaders in sleep technology and provide high quality sleep technology services.
The field of sleep medicine has grown significantly due to increased public awareness of sleep disorders. With this growth has come the need for accessible educational opportunities for Polysomnographic Technologists who perform a crucial role in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders. Polysomnographic technologists should have special training to perform polysomnograms (PSG) for the diagnosis and treatment of sleep/arousal disorders, including the management of nasal positive airway pressure titration for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. These individuals should safely operate sophisticated medical equipment to record various parameters of sleep/wake physiology. A lifelong learning would be necessary if the services provided by sleep technologists have to inspire professional excellence, and international recognition. Technologists who perform PSG-related procedures must not only be well-versed in instrumentation used in a sleep laboratory, but should also have a good knowledge of the sleep-induced physiological changes in the neural, musculoskeletal, cardiac, and respiratory systems. They should have a working knowledge of the behavioral alterations associated with sleep/wake pathology. They should be capable of interpreting electroencephalographic, electrooculographic, electromyographic, electrocardiographic, and respiratory tracings so as to be able to intervene appropriately during a recording session. They should be familiar with the integration of PSG and positive airway pressure equipment to titrate positive pressure against respiratory events and arousals. They should be able to recognize and initiate appropriate responses to critical events that can occur in sleep, such as cardiac arrhythmias, seizure disorders, and other medical emergencies.
Apart from the skill needed for polysomnographic recording, the technicians should have some knowledge about sleep physiology, pathology and medicine to get certified by a competent professional body. Sleep Technology Course would help to prepare for the RPSGT Examination. It is also proposed to include a practice examination session in this course to give the candidates an idea about what to expect during RPSGT Examination. Our newly introduced intensive sleep technology workshop fulfill above objectives.
Download application form No 5, form the ISSR website www.issr.in