Medical procedures make us feel out of control. In the sleep lab this is truly evident. Most patients are given minimal information about sleep disorders and about what to expect during a sleep study. This will make them feel they have very little control. Now add on top of that a machine that is supposed to help them to ...

I had an experience getting some prescriptions filled: The technician was working with me to get a discount card to work that I could not use at another pharmacy. It turned out that the other pharmacy just did not know to make a phone call required to activate the card. It cost them a customer. The extra 10 minutes this person ...

When patient and tech meet for the first time, it can be an uncomfortable situation for both parties. I always take this as a personal challenge. My main goal above all else it to make the patient feel comfortable. If you can develop  a relationship and trust in a short amount of time, everything else seems to fall into place. Of course this ...

The other day I had to work part of a night shift with two of my technicians. We had a patient that may have needed a little extra care, and I felt that another person might help to run the study better. When I got home, I posted on Facebook how impressed I was with the technicians I worked with. They really understand that they're on the ...

Many sleep technicians don't know how insurance works. They don't understand what insurances cover and which insurances need authorizations before giving equipment or performing tests. To them, this is an issue just for the billing office and the scheduling desk. I have found that the more I understand about our field and the way we are paid, the ...

The best time of the year for teaching sleep is Sleep Tech Appreciation Week, Oct. 4-10. My goal is to inform doctors and the community that walking around tired all the time is not normal.The AAST has a page dedicated to Sleep Tech Appreciation Week. On it you will see how others have celebrated, activities such as a crossword and word search, a ...

I've been involved in sleep for the past 10 years, and I can tell you that I still measure every patient's head when I do a setup. My setups take between 45 minutes and an hour. I have never really gotten much faster than that. I think it's because I really believe that if you take your time and measure and clean the sites well, you will get the ...

Growing up, I was taught you always want to act like you run the business you work for. You want it to be successful, profitable, and have a great reputation. I always have taken that to heart. Yet now as I am getting close to another birthday, I wonder if this belief, which I have shared with my children, is truly worth some of the things I have ...

The increase in sleep awareness has lead to more PSGs performed on patients with co-morbid conditions. We recently saw a COPD patient having an exacerbation and a patient with a mental disorder and possible seizures as well as several patients with anxiety and depressive disorders. All these patients required a great deal of skill by the ...

Do you notice how we talk differently to our patients depending on the age and sex of the patient?  Take the 70-year-old woman who comes in for a sleep study. I find myself always calling her Ms. Smith and will chat with her about the sleep study, and what to expect. It is all very formal.  You turn off the lights and the only ...