Position on Proposed Legislation A 05337 Regarding the Amend to The Education Law for Polysomnographic Technology Services
The NYSSRC does not support the legislation being put forward to revise the educational standards for Polysomnographic Technology. Specifically, the NYSSRC stands firm that the educational standard should remain at a minimum of an associate’s degree in polysomnographic technology.
Justification for Maintaining the Associates Degree Educational Standard
Maintaining this educational standard ensures that technologists are provided with sufficient and fundamental skills relevant to patient assessment, diagnosis, initiation of various therapeutic modalities for sleep disordered breathing and other sleep disorders, as well as prepared to competently educate patients about the management of their disorder. This is critical to provide for safe and competent care in the sleep lab setting, and is especially important since many patients that require sleep testing and therapy have other complicated comorbid conditions, including cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases.
Sleep studies record and display in real time, various patient physiological parameters that the technologist must be able to identify clinically and react appropriately. These parameters include a six-lead electroencephalogram (EEG), electrocardiogram (ECG), respiratory parameters for monitoring various types of apnea (cessation of breathing), oxygen saturations, and other physiological parameters. Patients with sleep disorders have been known to have extended periods of apneas, low oxygen saturations (desaturations) and cardiac abnormalities associated with severe desaturations. Technologists must be able to identify these clinical findings and implement appropriate interventions such as oxygen therapy, PAP therapy, or initiate emergency protocols. A sleep technologist has the responsibility of continuous patient assessment, which is the monitoring of various vital signs and physiological parameters throughout the course of the study. Currently, New York State law indicates that any individual who does a physical assessment of vital signs to assess a patient’s current status and possibly begin implementation of therapy or emergency services must be properly educated with a minimum of an associate’s degree.
Comparison of Educational Programs and Outcome Measures
According to Title 8, Chapter II, Subchapter A, Part 52 of the current bill:
Professional polysomnographic technology coursework shall mean didactic coursework and supervised clinical experiences. Such coursework and clinical experiences shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following curricular areas:
(i) polysomnographic procedures and protocols;
(ii) cardiopulmonary and neurological sciences, diagnostics, interpretation, and monitoring related to sleep disorders;
(iii) ethics of polysomnographic care;
(iv) infection control; and
(v) polysomnographic patient care and patient education related to sleep disorders.
Educational programs such as ASTEP and those listed below vary tremendously in the training and education they provide, with some of them providing as little as 30 hours of online instruction with limited evaluative components. Proper diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders is critical as sleep disorders have been associated with hypertension, coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, stroke, heart failure, motor vehicle crashes and work related injuries. Associate and baccalaureate degree programs are accredited by CAAHEP, CoARC, as well as NYSED. A-STEP and STAR programs are not recognized programs in NYS. CoARC and CAAHEP-accredited programs (AS or BS programs) are required to meet outcome standards such as employee satisfaction, exam pass rates, graduate surveys, with a minimal threshold. A-STEP and STAR programs are extremely limited in critical educational and evaluative components and do not meet the same rigorous standards as CoARC and CAAHEP-accredited programs.
Recommended Solution
Although the NYSSRC recognizes that there may be shortages in qualified Polysomnographic Technologists, we also identify that there are existing, qualified NY State associate degree programs that have openings and are prepared to accept interested students. One such example is Hudson Valley Community College who has a hybrid / distance learning polysomnography (AAS) program. Students can complete lectures online, hands-on lab work at the college, and clinical at a sleep lab near them. The program has open seats and already has affiliation agreements with sleep labs in Dutchess, Cayuga, Rochester, and Long Island areas and has expressed interest in expanding to additional counties. Sleep labs can benefit from partnering with a distance learning program as students completing clinical at their site may be interested in staying on post-graduation in a licensed polysomnographer role.
In addition, it is recommended that NY State support the growth of existing online programs (e.g. Hudson Valley Community College, Kings College in Brooklyn). Stony Brook University’s Polysomnographic Technology degree program was closed due to lack of funding. Advocating for SUNY and NYS support reopening that program could offer access to those in the Long Island and NYC area.
Finally, the NYSSRC recommends that stakeholders advocate for proper education with a Call-to-Action in making polysomnography a high-needs profession. This would include seeking out workforce grant funding to offer scholarships and / or other incentives to enroll individuals into qualified educational programs.
