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Why all of us should support state licensure for the RPSGT.
I want to thank all of you for responding to my post about talking to a sleep technologist about your sleep. In hindsight I wish that I would have expanded the question to include sleep physicians as well. I was pleased to see that some of you included your sleep doc experience as well. There was a method to my madness which I will get into in a moment.
I hope that all of you understand how much each of your post mean to me. There are not very many of your discussions or questions that I do not read. The problems that a great many of you have gone through have not gone unnoticed by this sleep technologist. I hope that I have given good advice when needed. I hope that I represent my family, myself, and all of you to the best of my ability with each study that I put out. My true goal is to help Mike continue to build upon the foundations of sleepguide. To build an ever growing community where doctors, technologist, and patients can come together and talk about sleep problems openly. I apologize that there is no quick fix to any of our sleep problems. Believe me I wish that there were. Together I believe that the members of this community can make a difference. I want sleep to be a better place when I am done with it.
Now I need your help.
There are some misconceptions floating around this site about how state licensure will affect the sleep community. Let’s knock out the obvious first. State licensure will not raise the price of your study. That price is based off of the doctor’s license, and the type of sleep lab performing your study. The cost of this licensure comes out of the sleep technologist’s pocket. Our state sleep societies are funding the drive for licensure through contributions made by us, and us alone. We are bankrolling the implementation, and set up, of our own governing body. I will touch on the why’s in a moment.
We are not seeking to license the actual study, or deny the implementation of newer, cheaper technology. The training that a sleep technologist goes through teaches us to seek out and embrace new technology. This is the difference between a technician and a technologist. All lab personnel should be open to a conversation about home testing, PAPNAPS, or any other new technology or research that is available for your treatment.
Licensure does give the government a seat on our committee. In return for this seat we get funding for our local colleges to start sleep education programs. Right now there are less than 25 sleep programs in the entire country. This is not enough to support a requirement that all sleep technologist go through a school prior to starting a job in sleep. While I disagree with Cindy on some things she was right about the state of sleep. I was a fine dining bartender one week. The next I was performing sleep studies. I used my gift of gab to land a job that I was in no way qualified for. Had it not been for some family issues regarding sleep problems my education could have been completely different. I would much rather have an RT with a month of sleep experience do my sleep study than a bartender with the same. Licensure will help the AASM and the BRPT by providing them the state support that they need to mandate educational, training, and policy requirements in all of our sleep labs, and or DME companies.
The sleep industry is growing at an overwhelming rate. With this growth come an expanding number of job opportunities. New jobs for sleep are opening everyday in education, screening, and equipment providers. Right now with few exceptions the only jobs available to the sleep technologist are in acquisition or scoring. Even after I get my certification I would not be allowed to screen a patient in a hospital environment without an RT present. It does not matter if that RT has sleep experience or not. They are the only ones allowed to do the job. The same goes for DMEs. An RPSGT is not qualified to work for a DME dispensing CPAP without a RT certificate or an actual RT present. Like I said in an earlier post how can someone effectively coach you on how to get good sleep if they do not understand bad sleep. Quite a few of you posted earlier that you had limited interaction with qualified people that were trained in sleep. The reason for this is that we do not have access to those jobs. State licensure would expand the role of the sleep technologist by allowing us to fill or support those positions. An RPSGT should be a requirement at a DME just as an RT should be a requirement in a sleep lab.
Lastly state licensure gives us are own disciplinary board. The board would be made up from doctors, RPSGTs, and representatives from local private citizens. This board would hear complaints from anyone involved in sleep including you the patient. They would have the power to grant, deny, or suspend licenses pending judicial investigation. This board would mandate that all labs within the state conform to the same set of standards putting an end to the reliability issues that continue to plague our labs everyday.
I ask that all of you take a moment to think about this. If you support it call your state sleep societies and ask how you can help make it happen. This is not a perfect solution. It is however a step in the right direction. If you are happy with the way things are then do nothing, but expect nothing in return.
I am sorry if my statements offended anyone. I did not write this to bash RTs, patients, or anyone else on this site. This is not an AASM vs AARC issue. This is about providing better patient care for all of us.
Sincerely,
Rock Hinkle
Views: 443
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on
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This makes sense to me, Rock. Licensure for everyone in the Health Care Field helps to provide contsistency in what a patient can expect from a certain caregiver. My license as a RN makes me accountable to the Board of Health Professions here in Virginia and gives a patient an avenue for complaint should there be a need. It also helps protect the public against impaired professionals.
I wish it was easier for RSGPTs to standardize their practice, but as you mention the dearth of schools for Sleep Technicians makes it difficult.
Are you saying an RT should be available in every sleep lab, or that every sleep professional should also be an RT? Hemodialysis units require that one RN be present in the unit at all times. She works along with techs and LPNs. I don't know if dialysis techs are certified at this time. They do undergo training.
I understand how difficult licensure is in your profession, nursing and pharmacy as well as physical therapy have had many years to work out the protocols of who can work under whose license.
Good Luck,
Mary Z.
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Permalink Reply by Mike on
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Rock, this is the most thoughtful, comprehensive justification for state licensure of Sleep Techs that I have ever read. And I've been trying to connect the dots on this issue for months. What's new for me here is your explanation of how limited Sleep Techs are now in their ability to do their jobs (helping people with sleep disorders). You see state licensure as a way to allow Sleep Techs into our DMEs and other places where they will have one-on-one interaction with the patient outside the Sleep Lab. Needless to say, I fully support this. I have always viewed Sleep Techs as the unsung heroes of Sleep. Now I see that you guys truly have the deck stacked against you from a legal perspective, in that RTs are the only ones "qualified" to be in DMEs, and that licensure is a way to open up those opportunities to Sleep Techs. It is not just another useless government bureaucracy. It is the real deal. Thank you for putting enough confidence in us patients to speak the truth in such a thorough way. Until today, I was really skeptical and confused about the push toward state licensure. Now I fully understand, and wish Sleep Techs the best of luck in pushing this agenda through their respective state legislatures.
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Permalink Reply by 99 on
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this looks like a way forward
be sure there are no traps to make you sorry afterward
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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
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It is my opinion that every lab should employ an RT. Just due to the nature of what we do. If that RT happens to be double certified for sleep then that is a bonus in my opinion. On the same note DMEs should have to employ a RPSGT as well as a RRT. Once again double certification would only help. Afterall the 2 biggest money makers for the DME are oxygen and PAP supplies. I would also like to see the RPSGT take on a larger role in the hospital setting. Sleep takes on characteristics from so many medical practices, yet can't be defined by any one in particular. Licensure would help sleep become it's own practice.
I do not believe that government involvement in the medical industry can be stopped at this point. That train has already left.
Mary Z said:This makes sense to me, Rock. Licensure for everyone in the Health Care Field helps to provide contsistency in what a patient can expect from a certain caregiver. My license as a RN makes me accountable to the Board of Health Professions here in Virginia and gives a patient an avenue for complaint should there be a need. It also helps protect the public against impaired professionals.
I wish it was easier for RSGPTs to standardize their practice, but as you mention the dearth of schools for Sleep Technicians makes it difficult.
Are you saying an RT should be available in every sleep lab, or that every sleep professional should also be an RT? Hemodialysis units require that one RN be present in the unit at all times. She works along with techs and LPNs. I don't know if dialysis techs are certified at this time. They do undergo training.
I understand how difficult licensure is in your profession, nursing and pharmacy as well as physical therapy have had many years to work out the protocols of who can work under whose license.
Good Luck,
Mary Z.
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Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on
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What are the odds of the RSGPTS getting on at DME's and more interaction that is positive other than what many of us have experienced in the RTs or LPNS that have serviced us through the DMEs.
I know in this region Lincare has an LPN you deal with. The other mom and pop DME does have an RT that is completely clueless on cpaps and treatment. So how many in this region give up due to the lack of responsive RT's, LPNs, etc.
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Carol right now those odds are slim. Those jobs just are not open to the RPSGT at this point. Not that I have found anyway. Most sleep programs are only available to RTs right now. We are fighting to put an end to this. The sleep programs should be available to anyone with an interest.
sleepycarol said:What are the odds of the RSGPTS getting on at DME's and more interaction that is positive other than what many of us have experienced in the RTs or LPNS that have serviced us through the DMEs.
I know in this region Lincare has an LPN you deal with. The other mom and pop DME does have an RT that is completely clueless on cpaps and treatment. So how many in this region give up due to the lack of responsive RT's, LPNs, etc.
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Permalink Reply by Walt Service on
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Makes sense to me Rock.
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Permalink Reply by Judy on
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I'm glad that you have, Rock Hinkle. I have repeatedly been denied access to an RPSGT to answer some of my questions - questions that the sleep doctor and/or RRT either don't know the answers to or don't want to be bothered answering. I concur w/Mike and have said it many times, and will continue to say: the sleep techs are the true unsung heroes in sleep medicine.
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