The Neurodiagnostic Niche
Encouraging a community in the world of Neurodiagnostics
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
Make It Count
‘To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.’ – Mary Oliver
What you do today matters.
Small things add up…the time we spend on them become how we spend our days…and how we spend our days become how we spend our lives.
Make it count.
Let’s start here:
1 – Keep moving – if the only marathoning we are doing involves Netflix we are doing a great disservice to the time we have been given.
2 – Find your purpose – there actually is data to show that this can add years to our lives by producing lower levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) and therefore having less inflammation.
Do what motivates you and do it often. Immerse yourself in things you find most valuable.
3 – Challenge yourself – learn something hard. For those of us in this field of neurodiagnostics we know how intricate and amazing the brain is. It needs to work to be at it’s best. Getting out of our comfort zone challenges our brain and can benefit by enhancing those elaborate and complex neural connections. Fun Fact: Our brain contains roughly the same number of neurons as there are stars in the Milky Way, around 100 billion.
Seek out enjoyable but complex challenges.
4 – Connect with Others – just like wolves…we do better in a pack.
How to tie this around to you preparing for your boards?
We can apply each of the points above to our board prep….Keep moving, Find your purpose, Continue to challenge yourself and Connect with others:
You.Got.This
p.s. I started a YouTube Channel…have one video uploaded (it’s a shorter version of a talk I did for Natus last year). Would love it if you would subscribe. I hope to post updates regularly : )
p.s.s. Need a formal 30 week program to help you prepare for your board exam? or perhaps to also fine tune your technical skills?
My training academy is now enrolling for a May start date – just email me @ RTompkins@TompkinsAssociates.com for more information or visit the North Texas Neurodiagnostic Academy website (www.NorthTexasNeurodiagnosticAcademy.com)
Let’s Stay Curious and Grow What We Know
Spring Forward
“Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring.” — Lilly Pulitzer
10 Ways to Jump Start Your Spring Board Prep:
- Know Where You Stand….have you been preparing to take your boards for awhile now? You might know more than you think. Try an official practice test to gauge what you know: Click here to sign up to take an ASAP (ABRET Self Assessment Program) Practice Test.
- Break Up The Soil…..definitely don’t Dig A Hole for yourself – by this I am referring to costs ($$). There are a ton of free or inexpensive Resources out there for either entering into this field or preparing to take your board exam to become Registered. Click here to access the Resource Library on the Neurodiagnostic Niche to get started with some recommended sites.
- Plant the Seed…put a plan in place. Start with deciding when you want to sit for your exam then work backwards with monthly goals to get you there. Not sure how the exam works? The ABRET 2021 Handbook is the best place to start. Click on the link to access the Exam Handbook and Outline.
- Water Regularly….weekly and monthly goals. It is a lot of material – break down each section on the Exam Outline and address them regularly.
- Provide Nutrients…. Make Notecards as you prepare and Review them often.
- Be Patient…becoming an R.EEG T takes experience. Employers expect registered technicians to know their stuff – to be leaders in their labs. This is not something that is obtained through a Quick Course. Find a mentor, gain that experience, and put in the work. Time will help prepare you.
- Uproot Weeds…Preparing for your boards can feel like a chore – but tackle these tasks daily. Every patient you record can be a learning opportunity. Talk to your doctor’s about their patients. If you don’t have access to doctors to do that – review the EEG reports on your tests. Did you see what they saw? Interested in a Record Review Tutoring Session? Click here to schedule.
- Prune Often…wasting a lot of time on Social Media? I wrote a post on this last year: Meant For More
- Take Root…take a practice exam again – you’ll be surprised at how much you now know. However, if you don’t do as well as you had hoped on the practice test – repeat steps 2-8. The test is expensive – you only want to take it once.
- Enjoy the Fruits of Your Labor…once you have earned the credentials – it is time for a pay increase! Ask your current employer for one if they don’t automatically adjust your hourly. There are more jobs than there are technologists – it is nice to be needed! : )
Let’s Stay Curious and Grow What We Know
Edit, Edit, Edit
To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it’s necessary to stand out in the cold. – Aristotle
By now we’re off and running with the routines of 2021 – the global circumstances of this year are still overwhelming for all of us; however, focusing on what we can control will help us all in the long run.
- Bored with your exam prep routine?
Click here and here to discover new sites – the photos in the Neuro Atlas site alone will remind you of the Wow! feeling you had and why you became interested in this field in the first place.
- Maybe you’re worried that you won’t pass or you attempted the exam and didn’t do as well as planned…
Be sure to take plenty of practice tests before signing up for the real deal – it’s an expensive test and you only want to take it once.
Click here for recommended practice tests.
- Tired of the passive viewing of on-line resources? Is it hard to stay motivated?
Click here for tutoring options to help you stay on track this year.
and lastly…
- Winter blues just getting you down? Need some motivation to work happier?
Click here for one of my favorite TED talks ever!
Let’s Stay Curious and Grow What We Know
Note To Self
Motivation is what gets us started – Habits are what keep us going… – Jim Ryun
How long does it take to build a habit?
21 days? 30 days? 60 days?
The honest answer is: forever. Because once we stop doing it, it is no longer a habit.
A habit is a lifestyle to be lived, not a finish line to be crossed.
This also applies to not only how we approach our habits but how we approach our goals – daily/weekly review of information will make sitting for your board exam that much easier.
Note to Self:
You do not need an expensive program to reach this goal – if you are working in the field already…you have already mastered a certain skill set…let the exam itself be your major expense – not the preparation!
A couple of suggestions to plan out your prep:
- Print the Exam Outline and work through the topics one by one – you’ll be surprised at how many sites offer free resources (like this one! : ) Just visit the complimentary Resource Library on this site for the exam outline located in the exam handbook and more.
- Have you visited epilepsydiagnosis.org? It’s a great site for all things epilepsy.
- Make Notecards of your material and review them regularly – remember the habits quote above.
- If you find there is a topic that you need a little help with, just let me know – I offer tutoring options and just one lesson or two is probably all you need. Just visit the Marketplace to schedule.
Let’s Stay Curious and Grow What We Know
Back On Course
“The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” – Henry David Thoreau
Everything you buy is time…time spent researching; time spent shopping; time spent fixing…and time spent deciding.
Make it worth your Time
If you are in the field of Neurodiagnostics…
Hands down the best investment in yourself is to get registered in your field.
This alone not only should increase your income but will open up a whole host of doors for you that were not necessarily open before.
Last year I started with a Your Year to Getting Registered post and if you were late to join the blog or just didn’t get around to it in all the craziness that was 2020 – let’s revisit some of it again now:
Start taking small steps to work on your goal to becoming registered:
1 – Read – There are a lot of good technical books out there but my go to recommended book for my students is Fisch and Spehlmann’s EEG Primer: Basic Principals of Digital and Analog EEG. Also if you are looking for helpful Study Guides or Notecards don’t forget to visit the Marketplace while on the blog.
2 – Move – Make it a habit to get out of your EEG or Sleep lab daily. Talk with your doctors….ask them about their patients. Your doctors are going to be your best teachers. If you don’t work in an area where your doctors are available; read the physician reports on the tests you run. Did you see what they saw?
3 – Connect – Access productive Neurodiagnostic sites that are going to support you in your goal (like this one! : ) Reach out to other technicians that are already registered for advice and support. Don’t forget to access the free Resource Library on this site.
and lastly,
4 – Join – Look for a way to build your study resources. On-line courses, trainers, tutors…they will all support you in your goal to becoming registered.
Just email me @ RTompkins@TompkinsAssociates.com for information about ways that I can help you.
Let’s Stay Curious and Grow What We Know
It’s Been a Year!
“The beginning is the most important part of the work.” – Plato
It’s nice to be back on the blog again after a short holiday break – a little rest and reflection is good for all of us at this time of the year.
I’ve decided I’m okay with coasting into 2021—savoring the little daily joys and giving ourselves a pat on the back for the things we got done (and got through) in 2020.
Given what has been going on this past year, I think we are all incredibly resilient, adaptable and flexible!
It’s a good time to ask ourselves, “What are our strength? What are the things that helped us through? And how do we build on those things in 2021?“
Let’s have realistic expectations for our goals:
Embrace Rituals – Not Resolutions…our Routines matter.
As usual – the simple, small, and quiet things feel just right for me this season. Maybe it feels that way for you, too.
Perhaps your goal is to get registered this year? or maybe a new job or a promotion is something you are aspiring to?
A few Starters:
- Revisit Your Year to Getting Registered
- Do a quick job search for your area here
- Check out the Resource Library on this site and bookmark it for future reference.
- Contact me for questions/suggestions/and any tutoring or training needs
- Visit the Marketplace for Notecards and Study Guides to complement your learning.
- Interested in hearing about The Evolving Role of the Neurodiagnostic Technologist? Click here to watch this webinar I did with Natus.
Let’s Stay Curious and Grow What We Know
BE Brave
“Courage is grace under pressure.” – Earnest Hemingway
It’s easy for us to doubt ourselves but think about how far we have come:
Think about how things have changed since the start of 2020 and what we know now!
Let’s create a new vision for 2021 – by being brave enough to define what it is that is important to us!
2021 is just around the corner.
If you didn’t get a chance to watch my Natus eSeminar:
The Evolving Role of the Neurodiagnostic Technologist – please click here to view it on YouTube (no registration required) or click here to view it on the Natus Neuro Training Academy site. You’ll need to register but it’ll also give you access to their library of recorded seminars and CEU’s.
Also, how can I help you reach your goal of getting Registered in 2021?
Just email me @ RTompkins@TompkinsAssociates.com – I would love to help!
In the interim…
Everyday we have a decision to either stay where we are or move to an unknown territory. Choose the latter. Let’s do something everyday to expand our skills …experience new things.
Keep Going – In a Year from now you’ll thank yourself.
Let’s Stay Curious and Grow What We Know
This Thursday 12/10
Hi Everyone,
Would LOVE it if you could join me this Thursday, December 10th @ 11 am (EASTERN Time) for my eSeminar with Natus.
The topic is The Evolving Role of the Neurodiagnostic Technologist.
Select HERE to Register to view it Live or Recorded to view it later (earns 1 CEU credit).
Hope to see you there!
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 