The BRPT office will be closed on Monday, September 4th in observance of Labor Day.
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Author: Ashley Shelton
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Henry Stabenau Is The Winner Of The 2023 A-STEP/STAR Educational Grant
Arlington, VA – August 4, 2023 – Today, the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) announced the winner of its A-STEP/STAR Educational Grant Program for individuals interested in pursuing a career in sleep technology and/or those who are currently working as sleep technicians who would like to become a registered polysomnographic technologist (RPSGT). Henry Stabenau, from Eau Claire, Wisconsin was selected out of nearly 45 applications.
“While all of the applications were compelling, Henry expressed a specific desire to address the pressing need for specialized sleep health care in rural areas,” said BRPT President, Andrea Ramberg, MS, CCSH, RPSGT. Henry’s goal is to eventually “establish a traveling sleep study business that will bridge the gap in healthcare services, ensuring that every individual, regardless of their geographic location, has access to high quality sleep diagnostics and care.”
Stabenau will receive a grant of up to $800 towards an A-STEP or STAR designated educational program.
“In addition to applications from the United States, we had many strong applications from across the globe including India, Malaysia, the UK, Australia, Saudi Arabia and other countries,” added BRPT Board member Michelle DiMaria, BS, RRT, RPSGT, who led the team reviewing the applications. “It’s exciting to see this level of interest in our profession and very rewarding to help support members of the next generation of sleep technologists.”
The application window was open from May 1 through May 31, 2023. The BRPT’s Educational Grant Task Force reviewed all applications through a carefully crafted rubric to determine the best qualified applicant.
About The BRPT
The BRPT develops and administers credentialing exams for polysomnographic technologists and technicians. The RPSGT is respected worldwide as the leading credential for polysomnographic technologists. Since the first credentialing exam administration in 1979, BRPT has credentialed nearly 25,000 RPSGTs worldwide. In May 2014, BRPT launched the Certification In Clinical Sleep Health (CCSH) examination for healthcare providers specializing in sleep medicine who work directly with sleep medicine patients, families and practitioners for patient care management, improved outcomes, and sleep health education and advocacy for patients and the community.
The BRPT is an independent, non-profit certification board that cultivates the highest professional and ethical standards for polysomnographic technologists. In addition to administering the RPSGT, CPSGT, and CCSH exams in the United States and internationally, the BRPT also maintains the RPSGT registry and CPSGT roster. In addition, the BRPT provides its Continuing Sleep Technology Education (CSTE) Program for educational providers seeking continuing education credits for their offerings. For more information, please visit brpt.taupecatstudios.dev.
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CALL FOR APPLICATIONS For the BRPT’s DEI Educational Grant Program
The BRPT is excited to offer for the first time its DEI Educational Grant program intended to provide financial assistance to current Sleep Technologists who are eligible to sit for the RPSGT exam via one of the five pathways, or a CCSH exam candidate who is eligible to sit for the exam via one of the three pathways available.
The grant will cover the cost of one exam fee for either the RPSGT or CCSH exam. This grant will recognize a Sleep Technologist who is actively championing or involved with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives within their community and/or Health Care institution, influencing continual impacts to patient care.
Applicants must be eligible to sit for the RPSGT or CCSH exam with no sanctions by the BRPT’s Professional Review Committee. Candidates who have already applied for an exam, paid the exam fee and have a date to sit for the exam are not eligible to apply for this grant.
The BRPT will begin accepting applications for its DEI Grant today, July 20, 2023; the deadline for receipt of applications is the close of business Monday, August 21, 2023.
For more details on the eligibility, application criteria and to download the application, please click here.
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Announcement Regarding Reapplying for the CCSH Exam
In response to recommendations from an independent certification consultant and our test provider, effective Monday, July 3, the BRPT will implement a 30-day wait period for all CCSH candidates re-applying to sit for the CCSH exam.
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BRPT Announces Its 2023 CCSH Educational Grant Winners
Arlington, VA – June 12, 2023 – Today, the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) announced the winners of its 2023 CCSH Educational Grant for RPSGTs who are interested in pursuing the CCSH credential through Pathway 3. Ten RPSGTs were selected out of nearly 40 applications.
“We were thrilled to see so much interest in this year’s grant program,” said BRPT President, Andrea Ramberg, MS, CCSH, RPSGT. “We received extremely strong applications from all over the country as well as a couple from Australia, Puerto Rico and Canada all of whom expressed an overwhelming desire to improve patient care and outcomes.”
The application window was open from March 1, 2023 through March 31, 2023. The BRPT’s Educational Task Force reviewed all applications through a carefully crafted rubric to determine the best qualified applicants.
“We were so impressed with the essays and the depth to which the applicants described their desire to earn the CCSH credential,” added BRPT Board member Michelle DiMaria, BS, RRT, RPSGT, who led the team reviewing the applications. “They passionately described a multitude of reasons for their desire to receive this grant, ranging from the pressing need to bridge the gap between patients and providers, to ensuring patients succeed with their prescribed therapies, to having the ability to explore different career opportunities within sleep.”
BRPT congratulates the following 2023 recipients of the CCSH Educational Grant:
Tonya Carrasco, Powell, TN; Kathryn Daoust, Grantsville, UT; Amber Escobar, San Antonio, TX; Angela Levitt, Alma, IL; Edwina Polk, Westlake, OH; Heather Santos, Griffin, GA; Kasey Turner-Beltran, Pocahontas, AR; Susan Vanriel-Smith, Manchester, CT; Carmen Walls, Debary, FL; and, Sarah West, Chester, VA.
Each CCSH Educational Grant will cover up to, but not to exceed, $250 of the registration cost for an approved in-person conference or the cost to complete online modules for any approved CCSH educational program, such as the AAST CCSH Designated STAR Education Program, the AASM A-STEP CCSH Education Program, the Academy of Sleep and Wellness Program and the Collin College Continuing Education Health Sciences Program.
About The BRPT
The BRPT develops and administers credentialing exams for polysomnographic technologists and technicians. The RPSGT is respected worldwide as the leading credential for polysomnographic technologists. Since the first credentialing exam administration in 1979, BRPT has credentialed nearly 25,000 RPSGTs worldwide. In May 2014, BRPT launched the Certification In Clinical Sleep Health (CCSH) examination for healthcare providers specializing in sleep medicine who work directly with sleep medicine patients, families and practitioners for patient care management, improved outcomes, and sleep health education and advocacy for patients and the community.
The BRPT is an independent, non-profit certification board that cultivates the highest professional and ethical standards for polysomnographic technologists. In addition to administering the RPSGT, CPSGT, and CCSH exams in the United States and internationally, the BRPT also maintains the RPSGT registry and CPSGT roster. In addition, the BRPT provides its Continuing Sleep Technology Education (CSTE) Program for educational providers seeking continuing education credits for their offerings. For more information, please visit brpt.taupecatstudios.dev.
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The BRPT’s President-Elect, Amber Allen, has Been Busy Sharing her Wisdom and Expertise on the Field of Sleep Technology
The BRPT’s President-Elect, Amber Allen, BA, CCSH, RPSGT, has been busy talking with students and other individuals interested in exploring various roles in the healthcare industry. In April, she spoke to 300 students enrolled in the HLTH 1100 – Career Explorations for the Health Professions course at the University of Texas at Dallas.
This course is centered on guest speakers and aims to achieve a holistic approach for healthcare while exploring the details and realities of various health professions. In doing so, the students investigate the many options for present and next-generation health careers and learn what courses and activities will open doors to their areas of interest.
Amber noted, “These students are interested in healthcare but have not yet decided which healthcare specialty they’d like to pursue.” Each Spring the professor, Dr. Kathleen Byrnes, recruits guest speakers from a variety of health science disciplines to speak to her students. Amber spoke at length about the field of polysomnography in general and what it means to be, and the benefits of being, a sleep technologist as well as the program she oversees at Collin College, to train future sleep technologists. Amber has enjoyed speaking with these students for a number of years, “I love talking with these students and answering their questions – many of whom stay afterward for further discussion, and this year was no exception,” said Amber.
Later in the month, Amber had the opportunity to speak at the Dallas-Fort Worth Health Information Management Association (DFW HIMA) Spring Workshop on the topic of “The Cost of Sleep Deprivation.” This is the organization that represents District 13 (DFW) of the Texas Health Information Management Association (TxHIMA) which is a Component State Association of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
Amber noted that sleep is one of the wellness areas where these professionals can receive continuing education credits for their participation and there were more than 160 attendees at this workshop. Amber was thrilled to engage with an enthusiastic group of healthcare professionals interested in sleep and was excited to be invited back for future workshops on the topic.
And, most recently this month, Amber hosted approximately 100 high school students for tours of her on-campus sleep lab at Collin College, a CAAHEP-accredited Polysomnographic Technology Program in McKinney, Texas. Amber conducts several of these tours each year for high school students and, as she notes, “it’s always a highlight to speak with them about polysomnography and the many interesting and rewarding aspects of sleep.”
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BRPT Announces Open Position for Board of Director for 2023
The Nominating, Governance and Ethics Committee for Board of Director (BOD) positions is pleased to announce an opening for a Director position to begin July 1st, 2023.
Nominations
Nominations will be accepted up to June 12th, 2023 for discussion during the BOD meeting on June 24th, 2023. All applications for the Director position will be submitted to the committee Chair and forwarded to the Nominating, Governance and Ethics Committee. Directors will be elected to serve for four (4) years starting in July. A person being nominated must agree to the nomination. Self-nominations will not be accepted.
Applicants for a Director position must submit (1) a letter of intent of up to 500 words, (2) their resume, (3) the names and contact details of two professional references, to the Chair of the Nominating, Governance and Ethics Committee for review by June 12th, 2023 International credential holders and people with volunteer experience on one of the BRPT committees or local professional societies are encouraged to apply. Please note, applicants must be currently practicing or teaching in the field of sleep medicine.
Email submissions with the subject line BOD Nomination to:
BRPT President-Elect Amber Allen c/o Ashley Shelton: ashelton@brpt.org
About the BRPT Board of Directors
The BRPT Board of Directors is comprised of volunteer members, all of whom serve four-year terms. The Board is international in scope and blends the expertise of the sleep community representing the interests of the consumer, patients, educators, sleep technologists and physicians.
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You Worked Hard To Earn Your Credential And Now You Want The Certificate To Celebrate Your Achievement
The BRPT is thrilled with the long-standing partnership it has established with The Award Group to design, develop and produce the physical certifications that hang on your office or clinic walls, and those that fit perfectly inside your wallet.
We took a few moments to speak with Jamie George, a representative of The Award Group, to share some insights on the order processing and fulfilment process, which takes approximately 6-8 weeks.
“Every month, we ask clients to place their orders during a set two-week time period, after which all orders are processed,” said Jamie George. “Once that batch of orders is placed, we begin the next two-week cycle.”
Jamie went on to explain that the next phase includes a printing and proofing period in which all orders are sent to The Award Group’s art department for a series of proofs and reviews to ensure they are free of any errors. Once proofs are finalized and approved, certificates and wallet cards are then printed. This phase takes approximately 1.5 weeks. The final phase of the process is order fulfillment wherein the shipping labels are printed and matched to corresponding certificate and wallet cards and then mailed. This phase takes about 1.5 weeks after which credential holders will receive their gold emblem printed certificate and corresponding wallet card at no cost.
“I am proud to hold my RPSGT and CCSH credentials and therefore wanted a way to show that to the world,” said BRPT President Andrea Ramberg, MS, CCSH, RPSGT. “I ordered two custom frames and they did not disappoint. While the frames are not complimentary, they’re high quality, the perfect size, and allow me to proudly display my credentials.”
Alternatives To A Printed Certificate
It’s important to note that the BRPT offers newly credentialed or recertified technologists the opportunity to request a PDF version of their certificate, which they will receive in 3-5 business days. The BRPT charges a PDF Request/Processing fee of $25 for this expedited service. Over the years, many credential holders have taken advantage of this opportunity to obtain a duplicate certificate in the event they need documentation of their credential right away or if the original has been misplaced.
In addition, credential holders can request that the BRPT send an official Verification Letter of their credential to either a state licensure board or employer/other verification entity; this can be done by logging into the BRPT’s Self Service Portal. All Verification Letter requests require a $25.00 processing fee and take 1-5 business days.
Finally, we offer a Primary Source Verification Directory on the BRPT website – for employers or any other entity – for official verification of the status of a credential holder. This service can be accessed through our Credential Holder Directory and is free of charge.
We’re pleased to offer a couple of options to make sure you receive your certificate in the most convenient way for you.
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Call For Applications For the BRPT’s A-STEP/STAR Designated Educational Program
The BRPT is excited to once again offer the A-STEP/STAR Designated Educational Scholarship program intended to provide educational assistance to an individual who’s interested in pursuing a career in sleep technology or who’s currently working as a sleep technician and would like to become a registered polysomnographic technologist (RPSGT). The winner will receive a grant of up to $800 towards an A-STEP or STAR designated educational program.
The BRPT will begin accepting applications for its A-STEP/STAR Educational Grant on May 1, 2023; the deadline for receipt of applications is the close of business Wednesday, May 31, 2023.
Applicants must hold a high school diploma or the equivalent. In addition, applicants must hold a current BLS certification.
For more details on the eligibility, application criteria and to complete the application form, please visit https://brpt.org/a-step-star-designated-educational-program-grant/