Sleep Review interviews Joseph Anderson, RPSGT, RPFT, CRT-NPS, marketing and product manager for Sleepmate, and Aaron Weinroth, sleep product manager for XLTEK.
Joseph Anderson, RPSGT, RPFT, CRT-NPS
As technology and methods continuously change in the sleep diagnostics field, specialists strive to maintain their skills through continuing education programs; however, not all programs and courses were created equal, according to Joseph Anderson, RPSGT, RPFT, CRT-NPS, marketing and product manager, for Sleepmate®, Midlothian, Va. Sleep Review spoke with Anderson about factors to consider when heading back to the classroom. How can busy sleep specialists optimize continuing education time? Historically, most distance education courses were vocational in nature, but today, courses are offered for academic, professional, and vocational purposes for students of all ages. Distance education is becoming available in practically any allied health field, including sleep. What are the top three elements sleep specialists should look for in a continuing education class? Due diligence should always be performed before beginning any education program. You need to investigate the education staff and know who is developing and presenting the course material. Make sure the instructors are fully credentialed in their field. Also, compare the number of continuing education credits with similar programs. You may be surprised by the variance in credits awarded for similar program titles. What should sleep specialists consider when deciding between a Web-based continuing education class and a lecture or proctored course? You are wise to consider distance education for at least part of your curriculum choices. Often, it is cheaper, more convenient, and in many cases more meaningful for students than traditional classroom-based education. Student feedback from nontraditional education programs shows that the learners have more to say about what they learn and how they learn it. They often will be working one-on-one with their faculty mentors. |
Aaron Weinroth
Having developed neuromuscular and neurophysiological instruments for the past 15 years, XLTEK, Oakville, Ontario, Canada, recently carried over its expertise into the sleep market. Sleep Review spoke with Aaron Weinroth, sleep product manager at XLTEK, about why the company decided to venture into sleep diagnostics and what it has to offer. Why did XLTEK decide to develop a polysomnography system considering that there are so many on the market already? How does the company’s experience in neurology affect what XLTEK can offer sleep clients? How are these customers different? The main difference between these groups is that the goal in neurology is to identify a particular abnormal event, such as a seizure, while sleep is much more oriented toward overall trends. Also, most people in neurology are familiar with XLTEK, which isn’t the case in sleep yet, but hopefully will be soon! What new products is XLTEK bringing to the sleep market? All of those products are intended to address the “traditional” needs of the sleep community. We’re also working on some new products for more novel applications within sleep medicine. I can’t give you any details yet, but I’m sure that when we’re ready, your readers will be among the first to know. |