The Neurodiagnostic Niche
Encouraging a community in the world of Neurodiagnostics
The 2nd Half
“The Second Half is a Whole New Ballgame…” – Ahman Green
Well it’s August and we are well into 2021’s 2nd half – Maybe now is the time for a quick check up on all you had hoped for this year.
Remember back to January…. those days where you resolved to get organized/healthy/_______(you fill in the blank).
Well…it’s not too late.
How about your career goals? Still wanting to expand your skill set? How about your pay?
If this was your Year to Getting Registered – it’s not too late!
Click here to see the 4 Pathway options to taking the board exam.
Click here to see where the measurement assessments are happening this Fall.
Click here to work on accumulating those CEU’s.
Also, don’t forget to check out the complimentary Resource Library on this site.
Need additional tutoring support as you work towards preparing?
Just email me and we can get a session or two on the calendar (RTompkins@TompkinsAssociates.com).
Or if you are looking for a more comprehensive training program that will take you from A to Z on your board prep: Click here to visit my training site – North Texas Neurodiagnostic Academy (www.NorthTexasNeurodiagnosticAcademy.com). The Fall Semester starts this month: offering both in person and remote learning opportunities with flexible scheduling to allow your training to fit into your already busy schedule.
The goal is working towards and achieving what you set out to do this year – it’s time to work on having that successful 2nd half!
Let’s Stay Curious and Grow What We Know
California Dreaming
“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity” – Dorothy Parker
So continuing with our Summer of Education opportunities the blog would be missing out if it didn’t dedicate a post to the upcoming ASET conference in August.
First off – Why go?
The reasons are many…here are just a few:
Networking – it’s a great way to meet like minded people with similar career interests. Getting to know your industry peers gives you the opportunity to expand your network and connections as well as learning from others.
CEUs – whether you are planning to sit for your boards or renew them….we all need them.
and third – it’s in San Diego!
I recall many years ago when I first entered into the field attending these conferences…It helped solidify my interest, expanded my knowledge base, increased my connections and really helped confirm for me why I love working in Neurodiagnostics.
Whether you need CEUs or just need a jump start to your career – check out the conference link below. There is also a virtual opportunity too if flying to California is not an option:
Let’s Stay Curious and Grow What We Know
The (Not So) Lazy Days of Summer
“He who laughs most, learns best.” – John Cleese
This summer on the blog is all about Continuing Education…we all know learning should be a lifelong process, and devoting time to it can be a journey of both our personal and professional development.
Whether you want to learn more about a subject that you find interesting or want some additional skills to take to your work, there are ways you can use continuing education to your advantage.
Earning CEU’s is a bonus (especially when you need them to renew your certification) but they shouldn’t be our only reason for seeking out a course or webinar.
Learning for the sake of learning is always the best motivator and what we gain from that is always far more valuable than a CEU.
The list below is designed to help you get started or for those already knee deep in the process – you might find a few new resources:
- Natus Neuro Training (click here for the talk I did for them)
- Harvard’s On-Line Neuroscience Courses (3 Free Ones)
- edX Courses (more free)
Interested in additional Neurodiagnostic support as you prep for your boards or interested in a full training academy program to take you from A to Z….Just email me @ RTompkins@TompkinsAssociates.com
Let’s Stay Curious and Grow What We Know
Summer Discounts
New Summer Discounts!
Check out the Summer-Scholar Option – take advantage of bundle savings with Notecards, Study Guides and Training Options.
Just visit the Marketplace today: (Click Here for Summer Savings Option)
Worth Your Time
“The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.” – Brian Herbert
This Summer’s focus on the blog is all about Continuing Education – Some of us do this because it’s required to gain CEU’s for our re-certification and then there are some of us that do this just because the benefits are many.
Wherever you are in the above sentence – I would encourage you to mark your calendar for Thursday, June 17th @ 11am EST to hear the upcoming eSeminar from Natus’ Training Academy.
It’s entitled: ‘All the Wiggly Lines: In-office and Ambulatory EEGs in Private Practice’ and the presenter is Dr. Daniel Gossett.
Not only because it will be an informative educational hour but because he is one of the doctors I work for and I can assure you it will be well worth your time.
As technicians and technologists let’s be sure to prioritize Continuing Education as part of our regular workday….hence the closer below for every blog post : )
Let’s Stay Curious and Grow What We Know
Good-Bye May, Hello June
Hello June – Please Be Awesome!
Tomorrow is a New Month – 30 Days of New Opportunities…
If getting registered in this field has been a goal you have been carrying for awhile now – make strides this month to push towards finishing.
All it takes is a moment to make the commitment.
Put the following in place and you’ll be surprised at how far this month can take you:
1 – Review the Statistics (ABRET Exam Statistics: https://abret.org/info/exam-statistics/ ) – with a Pass Rate of 82% in 2020 and 85% in 2019 – You.Got.This!
2 – Take a Practice Test – (the best one to take is going to be the one used by the testing administrators: ASAP https://abret.org/asap/)
2 – Make the Commitment to Test – Candidates have three (3) months from the date they receive the “Eligible to Test” notification to schedule and sit for the examination. Sign Up Here: (https://abret.org/)
3 – Now that you are All In – Review What You Need to Know. Visit the free Resource Library on this website. Use your Practice Test results to guide your preparation.
4 – There are A Ton of Free Resources available to you through search engines – but if you find you need additional Tutoring/Coaching support – email me and I would be happy to help (RTompkins@TompkinsAssociates.com) Zoom lessons for both Small Group or Private lessons are Available.
It’s a new month – Let’s Make the Most of It!
You.Got.This
Let’s Stay Curious and Grow What We Know
Blank Slate
“The beginning is the most important part of the work.” – Plato
In this post we are celebrating new beginnings!
Graduation ceremonies are in full swing…schools are winding down…Spring has sprung and vacation mode is starting to set in.
Everyone starts with a blank slate – what are you going to put on yours?
Get creative…put pen to paper and list out your goals:
Being able to readily articulate your goals – can also help you define them.
Many of us struggle not because we aren’t motivated but because we lose our focus.
If getting Registered in this field is on your list, this is a great time to review your progress:
- Check out the Resource Library on this site and review the links in the Starters section.
- Next move onto the Helpful Resources & Website section to continue to prepare for what you need to know.
- and then finally check out the Neurodiagnostic Niche Resources section for things that can help you on your way….Complimentary Study Guides, the Marketplace and if you need tutoring support or a full program look at the On-line Course offerings or the North Texas Neurodiagnostic Academy.
Email me if you need help RTompkins@TompkinsAssociates.com
You.Got.This
Let’s Stay Curious and Grow What We Know
Seize The Day
“Forever is composed of nows.” – Emily Dickerson
Can you believe it is already May?
If time seems to be flying by and you are unsure of or haven’t been able to hit your mark on your goals – visualize yourself where you want to be:
To help you see your future, here’s a list of questions to ask yourself.
Whether it’s one year or five, use this list to jumpstart your personal expectations and next steps. Some of them may be challenging to answer, and that is on purpose. Each question is designed to help you visualize the PROCESS for getting to where you want to be.
Answer each question as if you are living your ideal future in 5 years:
1. When somebody asks what you do for work, how do you respond?
2. Describe your physical surroundings in as much detail as possible. Where are you working? Where do you live? Where do you spend your free time?
3. Describe the people surrounding you – in your business and personal life.
4. What is the atmosphere in your business and personal life? How do you contribute to that atmosphere?
5. What are you most proud of?
6. What is your favorite way to spend your downtime?
7. When somebody asks you for mentoring advice, what do you tell them?
8. Describe the steps you had to take to get to where you are.
9. Do you have any regrets? Explain.
10. What would you have done differently to get here?
If becoming registered in the field of Neurodiagnostics is in your visualization exercise from above – You.Got.This
There are a ton of RESOURCES (click the link : ) available for you to help you in your journey.
Start now and remember:
Research.Review.Repeat
Let’s Stay Curious and Grow What We Know
That’s A Wrap…
“We are not makers of history, we are made by history.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Re-running this post from last year in case you missed it : )
Just some quick fun facts as we wrap up Neurodiagnostics Week:
- 1924 – Calvin Coolidge was elected President, Jimmy Carter was born, the first Macy’s Day Parade was held…and Hans Berger, a German Psychiatrist inserted silver wires under his subject’s scalp (mostly used his children) and invented the EEG recording. He called it an Elektrenkephalogramm and first described the alpha rhythm showing how it suppresses when we open our eyes.
- 1934 – It’s real breakthrough into the clinical world when 2 patients with Absence seizures were studied at Harvard and because their seizures didn’t introduce movement artifact in the recording a clear 3Hz Spike and Wave complex was seen.
- 1937 – the first hospital based EEG lab was started with a 2 channel EEG machine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
- 1963 – the first EEG registration exam is administered for technicians. There are currently 7898 (updated #) technologists in the world at the time of this writing that have passed the test. (Lol…my number is 2474 : )
- Although EEG is the most common test in Neurodiagnostics, the field also includes inter-operative monitoring, long-term monitoring, polysomograms, evoked potentials, and nerve conduction studies.
Pretty amazing how this test has evolved and how we can now conduct them in the comfort of patient’s own homes. Remembering how far we have come is inspiring for what is ahead.
Let’s Stay Curious and Grow What We Know
A Clean Slate
“…as you go through life, if you don’t paddle your own canoe, you don’t move.” – Katherine Hepburn
We are in charge of us : ) No one else is going to do it for us.
We talk a lot about setting goals for ourselves in this blog and if getting Registered is one of yours…that is most likely the reason you are following these posts.
Which is a GREAT first step in working towards your goal!
We all need a little motivation every now and again.
Have you been able to take your goal further?
It’s your goal and it’s your success journey.
Still struggling where to start?
1 – Visit the Resource Library and review all of the tabs under the Starters section.
2 – Next, move down to reviewing the Helpful Resources & Websites before continuing on to review the Neurodiagnostic Niche Resources links.
3 – Start earning CEU’s not just because you will need them, but because they will provide valuable learning opportunities.
4 – Look for opportunities to provide learning into your work day….ask a doctor about their patient…read your patient’s EEG reports. Did you see what the interpreting physician saw?
However, if self-studying board prep has become a bit overwhelming for you – take a peek at my training academy Now Enrolling for a May semester start date: The North Texas Neurodiagnostic Academy (www.NorthTexasNeurodiagnosticAcademy.com) – both remote and in-person training options available.
Let’s Stay Curious and Grow What We Know
Registered Technologist | Business Owner | Encourager of a community helping others find their way in the world of Neurodiagnostics.
Business website: www.TompkinsAssociates.com
Blog: NeurodiagnosticNiche.com Training Academy: North Texas Neurodiagnostic Academy
The Neurodiagnostic Niche 