Alvin College Polysomnography Program Accepting Applications

You can learn a lot about a person while watching them sleep. The Alvin College Polysomnography program trains students to study and treat patients suffering from sleep disruption.

“We’re kind of like sleep detectives,” said Kirsten LaChance, clinical coordinator for the Polysomnography program. “We go through and look at everything as a big picture and it’s our job to go through it and see what’s important for doctors.”

Applications for the program are currently being accepted and the deadline to apply is November 1.

Polysomnography is the study of sleep disorders. Graduates help with the treatment and diagnosis the causes of conditions like narcolepsy, sleep apnea and insomnia.

“We watch their heartrate, their brain waves and movements their bodies make. We watch and record everything so doctors can make diagnoses,” said Amanda Moore, Polysomnography program director

Polysomongraphers also provide treatment for patients including continuous positive airway pressure or positive air pressure to treat apnea, Moore said.

The Polysomnography program at Alvin College has developed a strong reputation in the region. This past year, all graduates passed the exam on their first attempt and the program holds an average 92 percent pass rate. The national average for the exam is 40 percent.

“Every graduate they typically leave school with a position in  a hospital in the Houston region,” LaChance said. “By the time they graduate they have a job waiting for them.”

You can hear more from the interview with Moore and LaChance on the Alvin College podcast at https://www.alvincollege.edu/news/podcast.html.

The Alvin College Polysomnography program was the first accredited program in Texas and among the first in the United States. For more information about the program, such as prerequisites or certification requirements, visit www.alvincollege.edu/polysomnography or call 281-756-5610.