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Introduction
We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to our preceptors for their hard work and dedication to this Polysomnography Technology (PSGT) program. The clinical experiences students will obtain in your facility are of critical importance to a successful educational and learning experience in the program. The clinical setting synthesizes concepts and application of principles for quality health care delivery. You, as a clinical preceptor, are the key to successful learning experiences in the clinical setting. The PSGT student will
work closely with you, learning from your advice, experience, and example. Through your supervision, the student will progressively develop the skills and clinical judgment necessary to become a practicing Sleep Technologist. Thank you for your commitment to PSGT education.
General Goals of the Clinical Education
Clinical education takes students from the classroom setting to an active, hands‐on learning environment to prepare them for a lifetime of continued refinement of skills and expanded knowledge as a practicing Sleep Technologist. Toward this end, the goals of the clinical education include the following:
Apply didactic knowledge to supervised clinical practice
Develop and refine clinical problem‐solving skills
Develop and expand medical fund of knowledge
Perfect the art of patient hook-up and biocalibration
Expand and refine interpretation of diagnostic and therapeutic recording data, includingwritten documentation skills
Develop an understanding of the Sleep Technologist’s role in managing sleep health
Prepare for the Registered Polysomnographic Technologist Exam
Develop interpersonal skills and professionalism necessary to function as part of a patient-centered medical team
Sustain a commitment to continual learning
Sleep Technologist Student’s Competencies
Sleep Technologist students have demonstrated competence in a few basic areas, prior to their arrival at the clinical facility. They have demonstrated competence in the following areas:
Clinical and Patient Safety
Preparing for the Patient & Orientation
Diagnostic Equipment
Patient Hook-up
Artifact Recognition and Troubleshooting
Diagnostic Polysomnography
Initiating Data Acquisition
EKG
Stage Scoring
Event recognition
PAP Fitting & Modes
The student will continue to perfect these skills throughout their clinical education, as these are performed at each clinical night. Your guidance and feedback to their performance is paramount to their continued growth.
The student will also be focused on getting exposure and hands-on experience with skills which go beyond basic diagnostic PSG skills. These include:
PAP Therapy
Bilevel PAP Therapy
Oxygen Titration
MSLT/MWT
Out of Sleep Center Testing (OSCT)
CO2 Monitoring
Advanced PAP
By the completion of clinical education, the student will need to pass online competencies on each of the areas listed above. Inclusion of the student in situations which incorporate any or all of these will help the student better prepare for their online competencies.
Preceptor Role and Responsibilities
Definition of Preceptor Role
The preceptor is an integral part of the teaching program. Preceptors serve as role models for PSGT students and through guidance and teaching help students perfect skills needed for entry-level Sleep Technologists.
Preceptor Responsibilities
Preceptors are expected to fulfill a number of responsibilities, including, but not limited to:
A preceptor is assigned at each clinical affiliate. This individual must be a Sleep Technologist (in compliance with state regulations) and is on site when students are rotating to the facility.
The preceptor (or designated clinical liason) coordinates the scheduling of students (this may be done preceptor to Program Director or preceptor to student).
The preceptor (or designated clinical liason) provides orientation and instruction to each student during rotations, explaining the policies and procedures of the Sleep Center.
The preceptor evaluates the student throughout each clinical night (verbal and written), to include, completing the documentation which the student is responsible for providing.
Supervise, demonstrate, teach, and observe clinical activities, in order to aid in the development of clinical skills and ensure proper patient care.
Delegate to the PSGT student increasing levels of responsibility, appropriate to the student’s experience and expertise.
Promptly notify the clinical director of any circumstances that might interfere with the accomplishment of the above goals or diminish the overall training experience.
Demonstrate an ethical approach to the care of patients by serving as a role model for the student.
Demonstrate cultural competency through interactions with patients.
Preparing Clinical Staff
The staff of a Sleep Center has a key role in ensuring that each student has a successful rotation. By helping the student learn about the facilities routines, and the location of critical resources, the students can not only function and develop confidence, but also be helpful to the Sleep Center.
Preceptors should not assume that receptionists, schedulers, and or other staff automatically know what role the student will have in a Sleep Center. The preceptor should inform the staff about when the student will be in the clinical site, and what involvement they may have with them. Consider having a meeting or creating a memo with/for staff in advance of the student’s arrival to discuss:
Student’s name
Student’s rotation schedule
Student’s expected role in patient care
Effect of student on office operation and patient scheduling
Effect of student on preceptor schedule
Preceptor‐PSGT Student Relationship
The preceptor should maintain a professional relationship with the PSGT student and at all times adhere to appropriate professional boundaries. Social activities and personal relationships outside of the professional learning environment should be appropriate and carefully selected so as not to put the student or preceptor in a compromising situation. Contact through web‐based social networking sites (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) should be avoided. Students will not be permitted to be precepted by someone with whom they have an amorous or sexual relationship.
Orientation and Communicating Student Expectations
Students are encouraged to shadow a preceptor prior to their first scheduled clinical night. This “shadowing” experience allows time for facility orientation. Orientation of the student to the rotation site serves several purposes. Orientation facilitates a smooth transition, allowing the student to quickly assimilate as a member of the Sleep Center team. It also establishes esprit de corps as a member of the team and helps students develop the functional capability to work more efficiently.
During the “shadowing” experience, the student should take care of any administrative needs which have not yet been completed. It is recommended that the preceptor and student formulate mutual goals with respect to what they hope to achieve during the upcoming clinical rotation. The preceptor should also communicate his or her expectations of the student during the rotation. Expectations can include:
Scheduling of clinical time
Dress code
General attendance and steps the student should take if unable to make a scheduled rotation
Clinical skills the preceptor will expect the student to perform each night
Expectations for patient interaction and overall clinical care
Students are instructed to communicate to preceptors any special scheduling needs they may have prior to the scheduling of the clinical rotation. Students are expected to contact the clinical site a minimum of 1 hour prior to their scheduled clinical time, if they are unable to attend a scheduled rotation.
Supervision of the PSGT Student
During a student’s time at the clinical, the preceptor must be available for supervision, consultation and teaching, or must designate an alternate preceptor. Although the supervising preceptor may not be with a student during every shift, it is important to clearly assign students to another PSGT, who will serve as the student’s preceptor for any given time interval. When supervision is not available. Students are not employees and therefore, work entirely under the preceptor’s supervision. Students are not to substitute for paid staff.
Preceptor’s Evaluation of the Student
The Student experience verified by the Clinical Preceptor is the student’s documentation of progress toward the clinical goals.
It is designed to identify strengths and weaknesses, and to promote communication between preceptor and student. Preceptors are encouraged to discuss strengths and weaknesses so as to encourage students about their strengths, as well as provide opportunities to improve upon weaknesses. It is the student’s responsibility to complete the Student experience verified by the Clinical Preceptor throughout each clinical night. The student is expected to write down the feedback provided for a variety of parameters as they occur throughout the clinical night.
Included in each Student experience verified by the Clinical Preceptor, is a list of clinical objectives and questions (these are different for each clinical night). The student is expected to ask the preceptor to discuss these objectives with them, when it is appropriate during the night. The student is free to work ahead if time allows. At the conclusion of each clinical night, the student will ask their preceptor to verify their Student experience verified by the Clinical Preceptor, with their signature, professional credentials and an email address.
Proficiency Evaluations
Prior to entering clinical education, the students had demonstrated competencies for a few of the basic skills Sleep Technologists need to perform their job. These competencies have been grouped into their larger skill sets, as they are performed together in the clinical setting. An evaluation of each set of skills in regards to the student's cognitive, psychomotor and affective abilities, will determine if the student is proficient in these skill sets prior to graduation. We ask the preceptor to complete these proficiency evaluations as the student progresses throughout the quarter. There are 3 proficiencies to be met this quarter, they include:
Clinical Safety
General Polysomnography
PAP Titration
Affective Student Evaluations Completed by the Preceptor
Preceptors are asked to provide 2 Affective evaluations throughout the student’s clinical rotation. Ideally the first evaluation would be completed on the 4th clinical night, and the second one would be completed on the last clinical night. This allows the student time to receive the feedback, set new goals, and improve prior to the final evaluation.
Role of the PSGT student
Expected Progression of the PSGT student
The PSGT program is designed to meet a variety of learning styles and paces. However, overall it is a fast-paced program, where students are expected to arrive at clinical motivated to learn, adapt and demonstrate their growth.
PSGT students are trained using the technical and digital specifications according to the AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events; Rules, Terminology and Technical Specifications. They have demonstrated competence in basic patient hook-up, clinical safety, preparation for patient arrival & safety, patient orientation, data acquisition and basic PAP therapy.
It is expected that the student begin their clinical rotation setting up the sleep system and hooking-up the patient, with preceptor assistance, and progressing at the discretion of the preceptor, as they preceptor feels more comfortable with the student’s skills and abilities. The goal is for the student is to perform both diagnostic and therapeutic sleep tests with minimal supervision within the 150 hours of the student’s clinical time.
Student Responsibilities
In addition to adhering to the standards of professional conduct as outlined by the BRPT, following the Student Handbook, and following the clinical sites policies, students are expected to complete patient assessments and study documentation to meet their clinical requirements. The student is responsible for bringing and completing the following:
Student experience
Patient Summary
Event Log verified by the Clinical Preceptor (please provide signature, printed name & credentials, and email)
Program Policies
Policy on Immunizations
The PSGT program will follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for immunizations. All PSGT students will be required to have the following immunizations/titers up to date prior to entering the clinical site:
Measles, Mumps, Rubella
Tetanus/Diphtheria/Pertussis
Hepatitis B
Chickenpox (varicella)
Influenza
Two-step Tuberculosis (TB)
Policy on PSGT Student Exposure to Infectious and Environmental Hazards
The PSGT program will follow the individual clinical sites policy on exposure to infectious and environmental hazards. The PSGT program director should be notified of the incident, within a reasonable timeframe.
Liability Insurance
Each PSGT student is covered for professional liability covering all acts or omissions of SCC faculty or students who are assigned to the clinical site in the amount of $1,000,000 each incident or $5,000,000 in the aggregate.
PSGT students completing a clinical rotation with a preceptor or site which may end up becoming an employer, must maintain a student role during theirclinically scheduled hours. Performing duties and responsibilities as an employee, will only be performed during non-scheduled clinical hours of an employee until after graduation from the program. This is vital in preserving the professional liability coverage provided by the college. It is also important to protect both the student and the employer in the case that legal action is sought by a patient. Liability insurance will not cover any student assuming the PSGT student role outside of their scheduled clinical hours.
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