Polysomnographic Technician - Per Diem - Nights

Our team members are the heart of what makes us better. At Hackensack Meridian Health we help our patients live better, healthier lives — and we help one another to succeed. With a culture rooted in connection and collaboration, our employees are team members. Here, competitive benefits are just the beginning. It’s also about how we support one another and how we show up for our community. Together, we keep getting better - advancing our mission to transform healthcare and serve as a leader of positive change.

A sleep technician performs comprehensive sleep testing and analysis, and associated interventions under the general supervision of a sleep technologist and/or the medical director or designee. A sleep technician can provide supervision of a sleep trainee.

A day in the life of a Polysomnographic Technologist at Hackensack Meridian Health includes:

• Sleep Study Preparation and Set-up.
  
  • Review the patient's history and verify the medical order
  • Follow sleep center protocols related to the sleep study.
  • When a patient arrives, verifies identification, collects documents, and obtains consent for the study.Explain the procedure and orient the patient for either in center or Home Sleep Apnea Testing (HSAT).
  • Provide age-appropriate patient education.
  • Select appropriate equipment and calibrate for testing to determine proper functioning, and make adjustments, if necessary.
  • Apply electrodes and sensors according to accepted published standards.
  • Perform routine positive airway pressure (PAP) interface fitting and desensitization.
• Procedures
  • Follow procedural protocols (such as Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT), Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT), 
    parasomnia studies, PAP and oxygen titration, etc.) to ensure collection of appropriate data.
  • Perform appropriate physiological calibrations to ensure proper signals and make required adjustments.
  • Follow 'lights out' procedures to establish and document baseline values (such as body position, oxyhemoglobin saturation, respiratory, and heart rates, etc.).
  • Perform data acquisition while monitoring study-tracing quality to ensure signals are artifact-free. Identify, correct, and document artifacts.
  • Document 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.
  • Implement appropriate interventions (including actions necessary for patient safety and therapeutic intervention such as positive airway pressure, oxygen administration, etc.).
  • Follow lights on procedures to verify integrity of collected data and complete the data collection process (e.g. repeat the physiological and instrument calibrations and instruct the patient on completing questionnaires, checking for completeness, etc.).
  • Assist with scoring sleep/wake stages by applying professionally accepted guidelines.
  • Assist with scoring clinical events (such as respiratory events, cardiac events, limb movements, arousals, etc.) utilizing AASM standards.Assist with the generation of accurate reports by tabulating sleep/wake and clinical event data.
  • Demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to recognize and provide age specific care in the treatment, assessment, and education of neonatal, pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients, as required.
  • Demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to perform HSAT equipment preparation and data download.
  • Perform patient education and instruction appropriate for HSAT procedures.
  • Demonstrate adherence to cleaning and disinfection procedures for HSAT devices.
  • Assist with scoring HSAT recordings according to AASM scoring parameters; identify artifacts, inadequate signals, and study failures, and generate an accurate report.
• Supplemental Duties and Responsibilities
  • Comply with applicable laws, regulations, guidelines, and standards regarding safety and infection control issues.
  • Perform routine equipment care and maintenance, and inventory evaluation.
  • Maintain current CPR or BLS certification
  • Demonstrate computer skills appropriate for the position.
  • Demonstrate effective written and verbal communication skills.
  • Demonstrate appropriate social skills
  • Demonstrate critical thinking and ability to work with minimal supervisio
  • Demonstrate teamwork skills.
  • Follow HIPAA policies to maintain the privacy and security of patient information.
  • Demonstrate ability to follow directions.
  • Respond to sleep patients' procedural-related inquiries by providing appropriate information.
  • Assist with patient education utilizing sleep center specific protocols.
  • Adhere to sleep center policies related to quality assurance.
  • Other duties and/or projects as assigned.
  • Adheres to HMH Organizational competencies and standards of behavior.

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• High School diploma and/or secondary education/training in health related fields; with emphasis on physiology and/or psychology. 
• Successful completion of a sleep technology program, associated with a NJ state license, 
• A minimum of six months of experience as a sleep trainee with documented proficiency in all required competencies OR Holds a Certified Polysomnographic Technician (CPSGT) credential or equivalent.

Working Conditions:

• Extensive employee and outside contacts.
• High Stress
• Works indoors in a well lighted and ventilated area.
• Possibility of cuts or minor burns from instruments and equipment
• Some direct exposure to contagion, but risk is minimal when proper safety precautions are observed.
• Possibility of strains due to moving patients (or objects).
• Requires substantial standing, walking, stooping, and lifting.
• Willingness to work with the realization that errors and incompetence may have serious consequences to patients.

If you feel the above description speaks directly to your strengths and capabilities, then please apply today!