Polysomnography Student at Johnson County Community College in Kansas Receives $2,500
McLean, VA – February 27, 2012 – The Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) today announced that Mr. Surafel Taddese, of Olathe, Kansas is the winner of the second Andrea Patterson Memorial Scholarship. Taddese is a student enrolled in the Polysomnography Sleep Study Program at Johnson County Community College (JCCC) in Overland Park, Kansas.
Taddese, who is originally from Ethiopia, left his country to escape political unrest and immigrated to Montreal, Canada. In Montreal, he worked as an assistant at Center Care, an assisted living facility where he monitored psychiatric patients. There he developed a love for taking care of people and making their lives better. Taddese is currently working as a security guard for Securitas in Overland Park while he completes his studies at the JCCC.
Said BRPT President Cindy Altman, BA RPSGT, R. EEG T., “The BRPT is honored to recognize such a compassionate and motivated student as Surafel with this award. His commitment to learning and helping people achieve wellness are gifts his patients will be fortunate to experience every day.”
According to Bonnie Robertson, CRT, RPSGT, Chair of the Andrea Patterson Memorial Scholarship Committee and past BRPT president, “Although Surafel is new to the sleep field, his knowledge and understanding of where the field is today and where it’s going tomorrow is unprecedented. He has truly embraced his studies and his passion for sleep and for that we are thrilled to honor him with the second Andrea Patterson Scholarship.”
“My dream to work in the medical field, caring for patients, began in Montreal and has deepened through my polysomnography studies at the JCCC,” said Surafel Taddese. “I’m so grateful for this award which will help me and my family during a financially difficult time.”
Taddese sums up his work ethic with his favorite quote, author unknown, “A man can fail many times, but he isn’t a failure until he gives up.”
Taddese is expected to graduate in May 2012 after which he plans to take the RPSGT examination. He holds an Associate’s Degree in accounting from Solusi University in Zimbabwe and an Associate’s Degree in management from Sheridan College in Toronto, Canada.
The Andrea Patterson Memorial Scholarship Program, named in honor of an early and highly regarded leader in the field of sleep technology, awards a $2,500 tuition grant each year to a promising student of polysomnography. Scholarship applicants must be enrolled in or accepted by a CAAHEP-accredited program in PSG or a CoARC-accredited program with a PSG add-on.
About Andrea Patterson
Andrea Patterson, RPSGT, R. EEG T., managed the Hennepin County Sleep Program in Minneapolis, Minnesota for almost 30 years and was a leader in early efforts to develop a standardized competency-based test for sleep technologists. Those efforts were instrumental in the development of the RPSGT credentialing program. She published extensively in scientific journals and served on the BRPT Exam Development Committee for over 20 years, until her death in 2007.
The BRPT is an independent, non-profit certification board that cultivates the highest professional and ethical standards for polysomnographic technologists. For more information, visit www.brpt.org.