A polysomnographic technologist (formerly called a polysomnographic technician) performs overnight, daytime, or home sleep studies, polysomnograms, on people with suspected

sleep disorders A sleep disorder, or somnipathy, is a medical disorder affecting an individual's sleep patterns, sometimes impacting physical, mental, social, and emotional functioning. Polysomnography and actigraphy are tests commonly ordered for diagnosing sle ...

. In the United States and worldwide, the process for becoming a polysomnography technician or technologist is primarily either on-the-job or certificate based. There are associate level programs offered by

for-profit school For-profit education (also known as the education services industry or proprietary education) refers to educational institutions operated by private, profit-seeking businesses. For-profit education is common in many parts of the world, constituting ...

s that award a degree in polysomnography technology in the United States, though not necessary to attain employment with the same title. After an education program or adequate on-the-job training is complete, the student is eligible for credentialing by the

Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists Board or Boards may refer to: Flat surface * Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat ** Plank (wood) ** Cutting board ** Sounding board, of a musical instrument * Cardboard (paper product) * Paperboard * Fiberboard ** Hardboard, a ty ...

(BRPT), a non-profit credentialing agency based in the United States but serving polysomnographers worldwide. The BRPT maintains credentialing for over 35 countries including

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

as well as over 17,000 individuals working in the industry.

Credentialing and licensure

Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists

Registered Polysomnographic Technologist

Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT) is a certification awarded by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists in the US. The RPSGT credential certifies its holder is regarded by the BRPT as fully competent to work in the field of

sleep studies A sleep study is a test that records the activity of the body during sleep. There are five main types of sleep studies that use different methods to test for different sleep characteristics and disorders. These include simple sleep studies, polysom ...

. Most RPSGTs conduct sleep studies on patients. Some RPSGTs score sleep studies. Basically scoring a study means summarizing it, so it can be used by others involved in the

sleep medicine Sleep medicine is a medical specialty or subspecialty devoted to the diagnosis and therapy of sleep disturbances and disorders. From the middle of the 20th century, research has provided increasing knowledge of, and answered many questions a ...

field. The RPSGT candidate may qualify for the credentialing examination by a variety of paths. Depending on the qualifying path taken, one must work for a minimum of six to eighteen months full-time in

polysomnography Polysomnography (PSG) is a multi-parameter type of sleep study and a diagnostic tool in sleep medicine. The test result is called a polysomnogram, also abbreviated PSG. The name is derived from Greek and Latin roots: the Greek πολύς ('' ...

to be eligible for the examination. As of December 2014 the BRPT listed over 21,000 holders of the RPSGT credential. The credential is valid for five years. To renew it, the holder must earn 50 continuing education credits (CECs) or retake the credentialing exam. Two major sources in the US for obtaining CECs are the

American Association of Sleep Technologists The American Association of Sleep Technologists (AAST) is an organization that promotes the interests of sleep technologists. It promotes standardized education for sleep technicians, sleep technologists and sleep center managers. It spends resour ...

(AAST) and the

American Association for Respiratory Care The American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) is a non profit organization and is the only professional organization supporting Respiratory Care in the United States. In addition to attempting to help lobby for beneficial legislation na ...

(AARC).

Certified Polysomnographic Technician

In the US, certification is awarded by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT). The CPSGT is considered a transitional certification. It is valid for only three years. By that time the CPSGT holder must earn the RPSGT certification, as the CPSGT cannot be renewed. To become a CPSGT, one must pass an examination. To be eligible for the exam, one must have worked full-time for three months in polysomnography and have taken the AASM A-STEP Self-Learning Modules. The AASM is the

American Academy of Sleep Medicine The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) is a United States professional society for the medical subspecialty of sleep medicine which includes disorders of circadian rhythms. It was established in 1975. The organization's functions includ ...

. To maintain the CPSGT, the holder must earn ten continuing education credits (CECs) per year. Major sources for obtaining CECs are the American Association of Sleep Technologists and the American Association for Respiratory Care.

American Board of Sleep Medicine

Registered Sleep Technologist

Registered sleep technologists (RST) are sleep specialists who have been granted the certification by the American Board of Sleep Medicine.

National Board for Respiratory Care

Registered Respiratory Therapist - Sleep Disorders Specialist

The National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) developed the Sleep Disorders Specialist (SDS) credential in 2007. The NBRC initiated this credential, in spite of the fact that the Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT) credential was widely accepted in the field of sleep medicine. This initially caused conflict amongst various organizations in the sleep field. To earn the SDS credential, the applicant must first be a Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) or a

Registered Respiratory Therapist A respiratory therapist is a specialized healthcare professional, healthcare practitioner trained in Intensive care medicine, critical care and cardio-pulmonary medicine in order to work therapeutically with people who have acute critical condit ...

(RRT). The CRT applicant must have six months experience in sleep studies and the RRT applicant must have three months in sleep studies. Both the CRT and RRT applicants must pass an examination. The holder of the SDS credential then appends this abbreviation to his CRT or RRT credential, thus becoming a CRT-SDS or RRT-SDS.

References

{{Respiratory Care Respiratory therapy Health care occupations Sleep disorders Sleep medicine