Several years ago, I thought about changing professions. Sort of a mid-life job crisis, if you will. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how much I
really did love my job and my patients. Maybe I just needed to do something a little bit different for a while? As RT's, we don't have all of the options that RN's have. They can work ED, ICU, OB, Med-Surg, just to name a few. We have RT, PFT, Cardiac testing, and Sleep (for the most part).
I decided to go into sleep. I stayed in the hospital I was working at and transferred to the Sleep Lab. I learned sleep from the ground up. After several weeks orientation I was working on my own, at night, doing diagnostic and split night PSG's. I always had someone available by phone, but I was there alone. At that time, I was only required to do the set-up and the PSG, I did not have to score the study. Multiple staff members came in on day shift to do MSLT's and score the studies I had done at night. It was like learning a brand new job. i hadn't felt that way since I was a new grad fresh out of school, but I loved it. After a few years, another opportunity came along and I left the Sleep Lab. When I became a "traveller" a few years later I did a contract doing sleep studies. I love Sleep Medicine. I love RT. Everyday there are new things happening, new ideas, new technology. In my 25 years, things have changed SO much, it's hard to believe the differences and changes.
When I was doing PSG's, and even now, it's difficult to imagine a CPAP machine like the one in this picture. The world's first hoseless, cordless, maskless, battery-powered CPAP device. The picture is an Airing product rendering. It was invented by a gentleman who was actually working on a different invention when he began thinking of this one. It's not a real device yet. The company is going to be raising money through Indiegogo starting in June 2015. This could be interesting.
Chris
It should be noted that I am not connected to this company in any way, nor was I asked to do this. This is my own personal commentary on a product I found online.