The new American Board of Sleep Medicine (ABSM) Sleep Technologist Registry Examination will be offered for the first time Nov. 11, 2011. Individuals who are interested in taking this inaugural exam now have additional time to submit an exam application before the deadline, which has been extended to Monday, Aug. 15, 2011.
In response to questions about the eligibility criteria outlined in the Candidate Handbook for the exam, the ABSM also offers the following clarification. For candidates applying under Pathway B, the Certified Polysomnographic Technician (CPSGT) certificate awarded by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) is an acceptable alternative to the Accredited Sleep Technologist Education Program (A-STEP) Introductory Course.
Furthermore, the ABSM recognizes that some states have regulations prohibiting sleep technicians and technologists from performing continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) titration. Therefore, the eligibility criterion requiring the independent performance of a minimum of 20 CPAP titrations during overnight sleep studies will be waived for candidates in those states.
The ABSM also reminds all practicing sleep technologists who have passed the BRPT examination prior to Dec. 31, 2011 – and are a Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT) in good standing – that you are eligible to apply for equivalency status and receive the Registered Sleep Technologist (RST) certification without taking the ABSM Sleep Technologist Registry Examination. Join hundreds of other RPSGTs who have already applied to receive the RST certificate and submit your application to the ABSM before March 31, 2012.
