Common Questions for the Florida International Sleep School

Common Questions About the Florida International Sleep School

1) Why should I consider working in the field of Sleep Medicine?
The Sleep Medicine technology field (polysomnography) offers a valuable opportunity for allied health professionals looking to work in another medical arena and for those in other professions who would like to make a change to a rewarding career in medicine. Because the field of sleep medicine technology is relatively new, job opportunities are plentiful in both clinical and research and salaries are relatively higher than in other comparable associated health fields

2) What are the pre-qualifications required to attend your courses?
The only pre-qualification required to take our courses is a high school diploma. Many of our students have no experience in the medical field so our entry level courses include time devoted to medical terminology. The only exception to this is the Somnio Insomnia Certification on-line course which requires a minimum of a master's level degree and related experience in behavior medicine.

3) Will your A-STEP Introductory courses help me become eligible to take the Board examination?
Our A-STEP Introductory course is designed to provide the background information required for a successful career in polysomnography and is the first step in the pathway to become board eligible. Students completing the A-STEP program are then eligible to take an on-line test required by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). The next step after successfully passing this test is to complete a series of 18 on-line modules from the AASM and complete 9 months of training at a sleep center with a minimum of 20 hours per week.

4) Why should I choose The Florida International Sleep School over other schools?
The Florida International Sleep School is unique among other similar educational programs for the following reasons:

Only sleep school in the country that offers true virtual online courses allowing students to see, hear and communicate with the instructors in real-time using any internet connected computer. The courses are all digitally recorded providing unlimited access to the material for up to 30 days after completion.
Only sleep school in the country where all the classroom sessions are held within a dually accredited sleep center. This provides students the best possible learning experience on how an accredited sleep center functions, better preparing them for future employment in sleep medicine.
Our classroom size ranges from 4 to a maximum of 8 students providing an optimum student to teacher ratio which encourages a high level of interaction and hands on experience. When comparing our school to others inquire what the maximum class size is and where the courses are held.
Our classroom is also equipped with a high resolution dual display telecommunication system that allows our virtual faculty of sleep professionals to present live interactive lectures from anywhere in the world. This gives students exposure to sleep experts unavailable elsewhere.
Our school has one of the most experienced faculties in the country with over 100 years combined experience in sleep medicine. This includes board positions with American Association of Sleep Technologists, American Board of Registered Electrodiagnostic Technologists, Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists and the BRPT Exam Development Committee.

5) What is unique about your Polysomnography A-STEP Introductory Course?
The Florida International Sleep School is only the second school in the country that is certified by the AASM to offer 30% of the course material on-line. This reduces the classroom time to 5.5 days providing a significant cost savings for out of town students. When comparing to other A-STEP programs inquire how many days are spent in the classroom. Read More

6) What is unique about your PSG Record Scoring Course?
This is the first course of its kind in the country that combines an on-line component with the 2 day weekend classroom session. Students can learn much of the background rules of sleep scoring on-line preparing them for 2 days devoted almost entirely to hands on scoring of different records on their own scoring workstation. This class is limited to only 4 students maximizing the interaction with the scoring instructor. Read More

7) What is unique about your RPSGT Online Virtual Registry Course?
On July 30, 2011 the Florida International Sleep School will offer a new online course preparing technologists to sit for their RPSGT registry exam. Developed by past members of the BRPT Exam Development Committee It will be the first such online course in the country that allows students to see, hear and communicate with the instructors in real-time. Read More

8) What type of accommodations is available for out of town students?
The Florida International Sleep School has negotiated special student rates with a number of hotels located within 5 minutes of the school. The majority are located within a designated "hotel district" which is less than 5 minutes from interstate 75 and less than 15 minutes from the airport. Just tell the Special Rate marked hotels you are from the Florida International Sleep School to receive your discounted rate. Read More

9) Does your school offer any financial assistance programs?
Depending on the circumstances we will consider a payment plan program based on a series of secure installments. Financing options are also available from American General Financial Services. They offer a variety of student loans with no application fees. Visit www.agfinance.com for more details.

10) Does your school have a job placement program?
The Florida International Sleep School does not have a job placement program however we do hire student trainees for our sleep laboratories in Florida from time to time depending on the situation. We also have extensive contacts within the sleep industry across the country allowing us to provide placement assistance as required.

11) What books are available to better prepare myself for any of your courses?
Although there are several good sleep medicine books available we recommend The AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events: Rules, Terminology and Technical Specifications by the American Association of Sleep Medicine for the PSG Scoring Workshop and Fundamentals of Sleep Technology endorsed by the American Association of Sleep Technologists for the A-STEP course.

12) I have a question that is not addressed here.
You can use Contact section of this website and ask us any questions regarding the field of polysomnography or the Florida International Sleep School.