A polysomnographic technologist (formerly called a polysomnographic technician) performs overnight, daytime, or home sleep studies,

polysomnogram Polysomnography (PSG), a type of sleep study, is a multi-parameter study of sleep 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 Gree ...

s, on people with suspected

sleep disorders A sleep disorder, or somnipathy, is a medical disorder of an individual's sleep patterns. Some sleep disorders are severe enough to interfere with normal physical, mental, social and emotional functioning. Polysomnography and actigraphy are test ...

. 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, making up m ...

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 The Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) maintains credentialing for polysomnographic technologists. It offers two credentials, the registered and certified polysomnographic technologist credentials (the RPSGT and the CPSGT). ...

(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 ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

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 sleep disorder, disorders. From the middle of the 20th century, research has provided increasing knowledge and answered many ...

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), a type of sleep study, is a multi-parameter study of sleep 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 Gree ...

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 nati ...

(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 include t ...

. 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 The American Board of Sleep Medicine (ABSM) is a nonprofit organization that certifies physicians, PhDs, specialists, and technologists in the specialty of sleep medicine. ABSM shares office space and at least some staff with the American Academ ...

National Board for Respiratory Care

Registered Respiratory Therapist - Sleep Disorders Specialist

The

National Board for Respiratory Care The National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC Inc. is a non-profit organization formed in 1960 with the purpose of awarding and maintaining credentialing for Respiratory Therapists in the United States. The NBRC is the only organization in the Un ...

(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 A Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT), formerly Certified Respiratory Therapy Technician (CRTT), is a therapist who has graduated from a respiratory therapy program at a university or college and has passed a national certification exam. A CRT or ...

(CRT) or a

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

(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