Neurodiagnostic Skills Summit: Aug. 12, 2017 at the ASET Annual Conference

A quote:  “The best way to predict the future is to invent it”  - Alan Kay

I anticipate that this is going to be a very dynamic and meaningful discussion at the ASET Annual Conference in Tucson next month!   If you are coming to the conference I suggest that you stay for this final plenary event.  If you are not going to be at the conference, we will be doing an audio recording of all plenary sessions and they will be synchronized with the slides from the presentation and made available via the ASET website shortly after the conference.

Ever since I finished a one-year EEG technology program and found my first job as a tech in 1979 I have been listening to an on-going discussion and debate about what we do, our scope of practice, and what we should be able to do as part of our jobs in the clinical neurophysiology lab.  Over the years, some of the issues under debate have changed.  We used to ponder  over whether or not techs should be allowed to administer sedation to patients.  That has pretty much gone the way of the dinosaur.  Techs used to insert nasopharyngeal leads, also thankfully relegated to the past.

During the skills summit, I anticipate that the audience and panelists will collaboratively address questions such as:

What level of reporting is appropriate for a technologist?

  What is a technical description? 

What should a technologist do when recognizing a waveform change that indicates a pending crisis that might require an urgent intervention in an O.R. case or the ICU?

Without a doubt, expansion of the neurodiagnostic technologist’s role is in our future!  ABRET has recognized this trend by developing an advanced practice exam for data analysis. 

The four panelists will offer a wide range of perspectives on pertinent issues: 

·         Dr. Joseph Drazkowski will address the physician’s perspective on the technologist as a physician extender, and how we can help provide coverage for reviewing a high volume of continuous EEG recordings.

·         Cathy Boldery, working in the field of IONM for many years with her own business, will address the question of what skills we might need in IONM in the future.

·         Sabrina Galloway has worked independently to start a business offering remote LTM coverage, and is also very experienced with ICU recordings, and she will discuss what skills we will need in this area of neurophysiology in the future.

·         Patricia Trudeau is representing ABRET on the panel, as she is part of their committee charged with developing an advanced practice exam for data analysis in neurodiagnostics.

In addition to our expert panel, members of the audience are encouraged to share their perspectives and stories that highlight the need for a higher level of skills moving forward.

Play an active role in your future by anticipating change and developing the skills you need to thrive!