As a sleep scientist, you'll work in a multi-disciplinary team including nurses and doctors who diagnose and treat a wide range of sleep disorders. You’ll have responsibility for performing a variety of tests, producing high quality data measurements, and using this for interpretation, analysis, and reporting of sleep disorders. To generate these, you'll use a variety of instruments and equipment including:
- electroencephalogy (EEG)
- electrooculography (EOG)
- electrocardiography (ECG)
- electromyography (EMG)
- oximetry
- respiratory effort
- airflow sensors.
You must have relevant analytic, problem-solving skills and knowledge to be able to setup, use, configure, calibrate and troubleshoot the devices used during testing.
You'll also be responsible for performing interventions by adjusting and optimizing treatment settings during investigations. This usually includes a positive airway pressure (PAP) device used to treat sleep disordered breathing.
Qualifications
To work as a sleep scientist, you’ll need an undergraduate degree in science with a strong human physiology component. This might include entry courses such as degree programs of clinical physiology and biomedical science. These might include:
- Master of Science in Medicine (Sleep Medicine)
- Graduate Diploma in Sleep Science
- a course from the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT).
It is an advantage to do a degree that provides a sleep placement experience.
You must also have good a bedside manner and excellent interpersonal communication skills. This is because you'll be involved in:
- identifying or fixing problems
- providing patient education
- coaching to assisting in the management of long-term positive airway pressure therapy use.
You also need to be eligible for membership with one of the following professional associations and organisations: