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To become a neurodiagnostic technologist, one can earn an associate degree or graduate certificate in neurodiagnostic technology or clinical neurophysiology technology, followed by an optional national board exam. The career path is available for those with no previous degrees or those seeking a second career. Course topics include brain physiology, pharmacology, and interpretation of EEGs. Job opportunities are available at medical centers and through job placement counselors. Duties include diagnosing brain anomalies and monitoring brain activity during surgery and sleep disorders.
For a career studying electrical and neurological abnormalities of the brain as a neurodiagnostic technologist, earn an associate degree or graduate certificate in neurodiagnostic technology or clinical neurophysiology technology. After earning these credentials, a graduate who wants to become a neurodiagnostic technologist can gain competitive leverage in the job market by taking an optional exam conducted by an accredited national board. Generally, local licensing is not required.
The associate degree career path caters to aspiring technologists with no previous degrees. The two-year degree is offered at trade schools, technical schools, medical centers and universities. A professional who already has a bachelor’s degree can become a neurodiagnostic technologist by following the certified career path; this also takes two years and appeals to adults seeking a second career or a post-layoff transition. While there are neurodiagnostic degrees offered at the Bachelor of Science level, these are generally not for technologist jobs, but for advanced jobs in neurology careers. Two-year certificates and diplomas are sufficient to equip students for national board exams and first-level employment as technologists.
Academic training to become a neurodiagnostic technologist includes a hybrid of classroom instruction and observation or clinical practice. Course topics include pharmacology, brain physiology, polysomnography, and interpretation of electroencephalograms (EEG), which are the basic measurements used by neurodiagnostic technologists to analyze electrical activity in the brain and distinguish a healthy brain from an abnormal one. Students also study neurological disorders as well as tests used to identify these disorders; these tests include nerve conduction studies (SAE), autonomic assessment, and evoked potentials (EPs).
After completing a training program with successful academic performance and board credentials, the graduate is ready to begin a job search to become a neurodiagnostic technologist. Medical centers often partner with trade schools to hire center-assigned technologists for internships and clinical experience. Additionally, many schools have job placement counselors who can provide employment opportunities in the neurodiagnostic career field. Membership of professional associations can also help in acquiring employment opportunities.
If successful in the quest to become a neurodiagnostic technologist, a person’s duties would include diagnosing brain anomalies such as seizures, dementia, multiple sclerosis, and coma. Technologists also analyze brain activity in patients with narcolepsy. In addition to diagnosing the presence and advanced stage of neurological disorders, the day-to-day duties of a neurodiagnostic technologist include monitoring patients’ brain activity during surgery and assessing the brain’s role in sleep disorders.
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