ADVANCED SLEEP SCORING

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We receive many contact submissions regarding a array of issues related to the field of sleep medicine.  In the paragraphs below, we provide some brief expressions of our opinions on various topics:

"Is it a good time to become a Sleep Technician?"​

October 19, 2019

It depends on your goals.   As of the writing of this response there is an enormous nationwide shortage of sleep technicians.   Almost every sleep lab with more than a few beds is constantly looking for sleep techs.  The catch is that sleep techs must possess the RPSGT, RST, or RRT credential in order to test CMS patients.  The RPSGT and RST credentials are very difficult to obtain because there are very few educational degree programs that result in those credentials being awarded.   Passing the BRPT examination is required for either the RPSGT or RST credential, and over the past 10 years the number of techs passing the exam has decreased every year.  The 2018 BRPT exam was passed by less than 50% of the number of techs that passed the exam in 2008.

Therefore, supply of sleep techs is decreasing.  Well, what about demand?   Despite the rapid increase of home sleep testing from about 0% of the market in 2008 to about 50% of the market in 2018, the number of in-center tests has not gone down.  Over the past ten years, many private sleep labs have closed, but hospital sleep labs are currently booming.  The only thing keeping the number of in-center tests from increasing even more is the lack of sleep physicians.  Physicians concerned about home sleep testing are deciding to forego Sleep Medicine as a career choice.

Are there opportunities for sleep techs in the current low supply/high demand environment?  Sleep tech wages tend to slightly lag behind respiratory care wages.  The exact wage scale depends on the market you are living in.  But if you are willing to work as a "traveling" sleep tech, you can earn $50 per hour.  If you are an experienced sleep tech, making $20-30 per hour, and you can't get any overtime, and you are interested in making a little extra cash, you might consider calling the other sleep centers in town and trying to negotiate a contract price for your services.  For instance, if you are working at General Hospital Sleep Center, you might be able to call your hospital's competitors and negotiate a flat rate of say $500 to work testing 2 patients on a prn basis.  Many hospital sleep labs would love to have someone competent and trained that can be called in when they have a sick call, vacation, or volume spike.  In these cases I think it is always a good idea to tell your current employer what you are doing.

What about the long-term job prospects for sleep techs?   Very difficult to forecast.   It would seem that for someone looking to work 5 to 10 years before retiring or changing professions, that job market would be stable.   Out past 10 years it might be possible that some form of technology replaces much of the human element needed to perform accurate sleep testing.  However, I would add that the imminent demise of the sleep technician has been predicted for that past 30 years, and it has never happened yet.