sleep studies

Press release:

The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) has voted to award accreditation status to the new Polysomnographic Technology associates degree program at Genesee Community College.

The two-year sleep studies program is the first program of its kind in New York State. It offers students the opportunity to earn an Associates of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in one of the fastest growing health concerns today, covering 84 classifications of sleep disorders from sleep apnea to insomnia to narcolepsy.

Students enrolled in the Polysomnographic Technology program take courses including Anatomy, Physiology, Sleep Study Implementation, Sleep Disorders, Environmental Chemistry and General Psychology, and two clinical practice courses in a local sleep clinic to apply the skills they've acquired in a real-world setting.

Program Director Marshann Thomas says students who earn their degrees in this program have a wide variety of career options, including working with doctors to diagnose sleep-related problems, working in sleep laboratories to provide intensive clinical observations and counseling patients on the use of breathing and other devices that help them get a good night's sleep.

"We are equipping future leaders in sleep medicine with the knowledge and skills essential to providing compassionate, quality care to patients and their families," says Thomas, who is a Registered Respiratory Care Practitioner. "PSG is a career worth dreaming about!"

The program's first eight graduates will earn their degrees in May.

Also in May, GCC will once again host a seminar by K & M Medical, Inc. The seminar offers a comprehensive review of the principles of PSG for technicians preparing for their certification exams. The two-day review includes a study manual and sample questions from the sleep boards. For more information about the seminar, visit: http://kmmed.com/docs/genesee_may2012.pdf.

There are 60 sleep clinics registered across the state, with projections of continued growth, and several GCC second-year students are currently working as sleep techs.

GCC's program was endorsed by a peer review, conducted by the Committee on Accreditation for Polysomnographic Technologist Education. Accreditation standards for the discipline are established by the CAAHEP, along with the American Association of Sleep Technologists, American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists.

For more information, contact Polysomnographic Technology Program Director Marshann Thomas at 343-0055, ext. 6188, or at mythomas@genesee.edu.

Information is also available by visiting GCC's website: http://www.genesee.edu/academics/programs/health/sleep/