Incredible Imagery of the Brain

 

No, it is not a Mohawk hair-do!  It is the latest imagery that helps us understand brain structure and function!  This NPR article shows the connecting pathways within the brain.  Just look at the corpus callosum!  How did they do that?  It is so exciting to be in a field related to neurology.  I have never tired of looking at EEGs, thinking about how fascinating it is to view brain function on a daily basis. And in the 21^st Century, we have rapid technological advances, which will improve the way in which we can capture images of the brain at work.  To view or listen to the full NPR piece, follow this link for the article “Your Brain is Like Manhattan.”

 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/03/29/149629657/how-your-brain-is-like-manhattan?ps=sh_stcathdl

At the ASET 2012 Annual Conference in St. Paul, we will feature educational events on another high-tech brain imagery process:  MEG, or Magnetoencephalography.  In addition to scientific platform presentation about the use of MEG to evaluate post-resection seizures, there will be a Sundown Seminar on MEG utilization and technology.  There are over 40 MEG machines in the United States now, and it is a growing and valid diagnostic tool.  If you work in a comprehensive epilepsy center, chances are that sometime in the future, a MEG will be coming to your institution.  EEG technologists who want to work in an advanced role and do something new and challenging should attend this workshop and find out more about it.  Electrodes must be applied for these studies, so who better than neurodiagnostic technologists to work in MEG departments!

You have a chance! Apply now for a Scholarship for the ASET 2012 Annual Conference

We have a May 1^st deadline for scholarship applications so take action now!  Most people don’t think they have a chance of winning a scholarship, so they just don’t apply for one.  But, members of ASET have a very good chance of getting a scholarship to attend the ASET Annual Conference in St. Paul, MN, Aug 2-4 this year.

ASET offers up to four scholarships to cover the cost of the full conference registration fee.  In addition we have company sponsored scholarships that vary in value, from covering the registration fee, to one that includes a cash stipend to cover travel expenses.  There are six companies sponsoring scholarships, and one of them offers two, so that is seven.  That makes a grand total of 11 scholarships!  It is also important to note that the application process is very simple and does not require a financial statement.  Every ASET member may be considered, from students, to entry level technologists to lab managers.  If funding for travel has been cut from your budget, this is a way to stay connected with your colleagues, and the Society, and experience the best education in neurodiagnostics, that inspire you, and improve your work life.

I encourage all ASET members to apply for a scholarship now!  You will find a link right on the home page of the ASET website, that will get you to the applications and instructions.  Please take a look at the 2012 Annual Conference Program on our website, and see how great this meeting is going to be!  Don’t miss out on this opportunity to attend!

Farewell to a friend: Dr. Niedermeyer’s Passing

When I posted a blog entry about Dr. Niedermeyer’s birthday, back in January, I knew that I would soon be following up with an “in-memoriam” piece.  When we visited him in December, he said to me:  “I won’t be here much longer”.  He was very matter-of-fact and seemed comfortable with his short future.  He told me he was grateful to reach the age of 92 and have such an active and wonderful life.   We will miss him very much!  I would like to thank Brian Markley and Sabrina Galloway for attending his funeral service on April 5^th, to represent those of us at ASET who could not get away to attend.  I will be making a donation to the ASET Foundation in his name, since he supported technologists so avidly and always aspired to making sure that technologists were educated about all aspects of neurophysiology.  He learned to run early EEG instruments as well as a technologist, so he really appreciated what it took to be a good technologist!  I encourage you to remember Dr. Niedermeyer with a contribution to the ASET Foundation also!  The funds go toward scholarships and other educational resources for technologists.

To read more about his fascinating life: here is a link to Dr. Neidermeyer’s obituary in the Baltimore Sun:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/obituaries/bs-md-ob-ernst-niedermeyer-20120411,0,4357703.story

At the 2012 ASET Annual Conference in St. Paul I will be presenting the abstract:  The Life and Contributions of Dr. Ernst Neidermeyer first presented at the OSET meeting in Germany in May of 2011.

Educational Resources for EEG Monitoring in the ICU

Continuous EEG monitoring in the ICU is becoming the standard of care for treating patients with critical neurological injuries.  The demand for this service is on the rise.  As we strive to expand our services in this arena, we find that there just are not enough resources available.  The problem is not just limited to equipment, but to the human element.  Who is watching all these continuous EEGs in critically ill patients?  How quickly are significant patterns recognized and how fast is treatment initiated when EEG findings indicate a need for intervention?  We all agree that there are not enough skilled neurodiagnostic technologists to cover all cases 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in all institutions. 

The ICU nurses are interacting with us, our recording equipment and the neuro-intensivists as they deliver care to their patients.  There is a distinct advantage to working with our nurses to help provide high quality, effective neuro monitoring in the ICU.  If a nurse can identify a lead that needs maintenance, or know when to ask for urgent review of an EEG file, an added benefit will be that perhaps we will not have to return to the ICU in the middle of the night to fix a lead or troubleshoot equipment!  The patient outcome will improve also!

Last year, ASET had a booth in the Exhibit Hall of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses Annual Conference.  We received a lot of interest and the most common comment we heard was:  “I need some help learning what to do with the bedside EEG”.  So, we have been working on two specific educational resources to help ICU nurses and also technologists who are just getting started with this type of monitoring.

Next month, we plan to publish a bedside EEG manual that will have EEG samples from ICU cases in an atlas-like format, and include technical information about electrodes, placement, basic equipment, and trending software.  It will be spiral bound so that specific pages can be kept open right at the patient’s bedside.   The book is titled:  “EEG Pattern Recognition for the Bedside Caregiver: Continuous EEG in Adult Patients”.  A group of technologists, headed by Lucy Sullivan, the ASET Publications Director, worked very hard to compile this book.  I think it will be a great resource!  There will be an announcement on the home page of our website when this publication is ready to order.

We also have scheduled an extended webinar for May 10^th and 11^th, on the topic of
“ICU Continuous EEG Monitoring: An Introduction for LTM Technologists & ICU Nurses”.  We have booked nationally recognized experts in ICU monitoring to participate as faculty.To view the entire webinar schedule, please click here.

Please let your ICU nursing team know about this wonderful opportunity!  This webinar will be recorded and can be purchased for future use, for those who cannot participate in the live event.

Neurodiagnostic Job Description for the Bureau of Labor and Statistics

ASET has been working with the Bureau of Labor and Statistics for several years now, to update information for their job description for our profession. The BLS maintains a website where users can research all of the major job categories in the USA, and the website is called O*NET.  They schedule the major updates for each profession on their list once every ten years.  Our profession was updated in their O*NET database in 2010.  The update included a change from the job title “Electroneurodiagnostic Technologist” to “Neurodiagnostic Technologist”.  The BLS gathers data for the job descriptions and ensures accuracy of information by sending out surveys to “subject matter experts” who are people working directly in a branch of the profession, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in the field.  I provided the BLS with a list of ASET members, representing all of the neurodiagnostic credentials two years ago, when our update process began.  This year, O*NET contacted me, to request a new list of ASET members, because they are sending out a follow-up survey, to assess the need for adjustments in the information they have published about our profession.  I provided about 120 names with contact numbers to the BLS, and the BLS then sends out a notice to them to explain the purpose of their program.  Last week, I heard from my O*NET liaison that surveys will be mailed very soon, to some of the technologists on this list.  So, if you get something from them, please take the time to fill out the survey and return it to them.  This information is very important, and provides key information to users visiting the website, in an effort to research possible job opportunities.  Since we desperately need more technologists nation-wide, we need to make it clear that this is an attractive career option.

Did you know that O*NET has a special designation for jobs that are predicted to have greater than average growth in the future?  It is called “Bright Outlook” and Neurodiagnostic Technologist has been selected for this category.  That means that when users browse through the O*NET website, they will see a special icon (a sun) that indicates that we have job growth potential.

If you would like to view our job listing, please try this link:

  http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-2099.01

Or go to www.onetonline and select “Bright Outlook” and “New and Emerging Jobs” and scroll down to “Neurodiagnostic Technologist”.

ASET Spring Seminars at Harcum College- See You There!

I will be traveling later this week to attend the mid-year meeting of the ASET Board of Trustees, and right now I am making final arrangements for the ASET Spring Seminar Courses to take place on March 23 & 24, on the campus of Harcum College, in Bryn Mawr, PA.  This is a lovely location for our seminars, and is quite a college town!  It is very convenient to downtown Philadelphia, and the Philly airport, just a short commuter rail ride away.  Our designated hotel, the Radnor, is rather elegant for the price, and they will be running a free shuttle bus to the Harcum campus for ASET course attendees.  Our room block ended on March 1, but you may still be able to get a room at this hotel if you are interested in attending one of our courses.

We are running an EEG course, NCS course and a one-day advanced topics course on Saturday, March 24, which we added to offer ACE credits for techs in the area who need CEUs for recertification.  There is no regional society in the greater Philly area, so this course is a good substitute for a regional spring meeting.

We have very impressive faculty lined up for all of these courses, and I encourage you to consider joining me in Bryn Mawr.  It promises to be a fun way to get your education, whether you are preparing for the EEG or NCS registry exams, or just need to brush up on some skills.

Please check the ASET home page for basic information about the course content, location, etc.

I look forward to seeing you there!  If you have any questions about the ASET Spring Seminar Courses, please do e-mail me at faye@aset.org or call me at 207-350-4087.  Please note that I will be out of my office from March 7^th through March 11, and will be back in my office on Monday, March 12^th.

We need Abstracts for the 2012 ASET Annual Conference in St. Paul!

What goes on behind the scenes in the ASET Education office in the months before the annual conference??  How do we find all those speakers??

The first step is the appointment of the Program Committee to manage the General Session, and the selection of course directors to manage specific courses offered at our annual conference.  These key meeting planners do receive some benefits in return for all the time they devote to working with me on the program.  They get free registration for the days of the conference that involve sessions they manage, and partial coverage of their hotel expenses.  From December on, they have worked with me on a weekly basis to come up with ideas for interesting topics to present and research possible speakers to give presentations.  Ideally, it is best to include both “local talent” from the medical centers in the area surrounding our meeting site, and long-distance speakers who travel to attend the meeting and give talks as well.

I am now collecting Abstracts for both platform and poster presentations.  Abstract presenters get free registration for the day of their presentation, and their abstracts are published in the ASET Journal, so you become a recognized scientific journal contributor!  Please consider submitting an abstract by the March 15^th deadline.  The abstract form is right on the ASET home page.  It is simple to fill out, and you must add a 100-200 word document, describing the title and content of your abstract.  Examples of abstract topics include: new procedures you might be doing, case studies, management techniques, research projects, etc.  For some helpful tips, click here.

We are also seeking a few speakers for our courses. Right now, many of our course slots are filled, but we are still seeking speakers for the ICU Monitoring Course on Aug. 2^nd, and the LTM/Epilepsy Course on Aug. 4^th.  If you have a topic in mind, and would like to give a course lecture, please contact me at faye@aset.org.  I would also love to get referrals from you for physician speakers from those great docs that you work with!

I am very excited about the meeting highlights that we have planned!  Our Keynote Speaker is Dr. Brien Smith, who is the Chair of the Epilepsy Foundation.  He is an epileptologist with a history of epilepsy!  Our Kathleen Mears Lecture will be presented by Janice Buleow, an R.N. who is also active with the Epilepsy Foundation.  She has been working with their patient safety committee, to publish new standards and guidelines for caring for patients with epilepsy.  She will present an overview of the new guidelines and recommendations for standards of care in the EMU.  Our 2012 Symposium is titled: “Establishing Alarm Criteria for all Neurodiagnostic Modalities” and this promises to be a hot topic that will include information we can use in the workplace every day!

You’ll see more as the planning of the conference is finalized, and we’ll be sending out our first meeting brochure next month.  St. Paul will be a great meeting location! We have a river-front hotel and the Mall of America right around the corner!

The Mall of America has a theme park ride called Brain Surge, so you know we all have to give it a try!

Please contact me if you wish to discuss a possible lecture topic or an abstract presentation!