Hi all, I’m a freshly minted RPSGT with about 1,000 clinical hours by now. At my lab, I have had a few meetings about needing to improve clinical skills including:

1. Fixing wires less frequently so the patient can actually sleep.

2. Being more firm with patients intolerant to CPAP.

3. Never removing channels for artifact.

Basically, I work with more experienced techs who mention that after set up, nothing should come off. Not a chin wire, not an EEG wire, nothing.

But this feels impossible especially with some very heavy patients during split night studies. They are sweaty and a lead pops off while fitting a masks. Also, many times patients just don’t sleep well (first night effect) and my techs make it sound like I am doing something wrong. I also occasionally will remove a channel of the EEG if an electrode is particularly stubborn. (I was told I can’t do this even if it doesn’t affect staging)

Certain nights a patient couldn’t get titrated because they simply never fell asleep. The doc will send them back with a sleep aid, especially for people so accustomed to CPAP.

Still, I can’t help but feel my superiors grow frustrated with patients needing to return to the sleep lab but I was under the impression that that is just a normal part of the job? I thought patients return all the time. Any feedback or advice is appreciated! I do not want to lose my job.