The Washington University Sleep Medicine Center offers the Accredited Sleep Technologist Education Program (A-STEP) to promote the standardization of sleep technologist training. The program is an initiative of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
A-STEP Program Requirements
Completion of A-STEP is a two-step process:
- A-STEP Introductory Course: 80 hours of instruction and training on sleep, sleep disorders, sleep studies and patient care. The program concludes with a three-hour online exam consisting of 106 multiple-choice questions.
- A-STEP Self Study Modules: Each of the 26 A-STEP Self Study modules includes a 60-minute online video presentation followed by a set of 10 review questions. Students are encouraged to complete the online modules while working in the field. Trainees that complete the A-STEP Introductory Course and final exam will receive a discount on the modules
Students whom complete both steps will be eligible to take the BPRT registry exam once 819 hours of experience in the field have been obtained. Students with another healthcare credential will be eligible to sit for the exam once 546 hours have been obtained.
Course Description
Classroom instruction, lecture and didactic will go hand in hand throughout the course. The following subjects will be covered:
- Patient safety
- Obtaining medical histories
- Medical terminology
- Documentation
- Patient confidentiality
- HIPAA regulations
- Collecting a clean polysomnographic record
- Instrumentation
- Medications and their effects on sleep
- CPAP titrations
- BILEVEL titrations
- Sleep staging
- Basic anatomy
- Sleep disorders