Tag: Carnegie Institute

At Home Behind The Podium

Before I came down with the crud, I was happy to once again stand behind the podium at the Carnegie Institute and teach some of the students about Sleep Medicine. This is something that I did last year and I was thrilled to be asked back again.

I spoke to the students of the Electroneurodiagnostic Technologist (EEG) Program. Last year the class was about 10-15 people. This year’s group was a bit smaller, but they were very interested in what I was presenting.

EEG and Sleep Medicine have a lot of similarities. We both look at brain waves, however, in sleep we look at respiratory as well. Last week I presented what our studies look like in comparison to what theirs look like. We compared the equipment that both EEG and Sleep techs use. And we talked about some neurology stuff.

The first week is mostly review for them, with a lot of new sleep stuff thrown in. They found it interesting and asked a lot of questions. The second week’s presentation, however, is my favorite. I get to spend the time going over the various sleep disorders. They always find these fascinating.

Naturally, I will talk about the types of sleep apnea. That’s our main thing in the lab. Then I get to talk about narcolepsy and the various symptoms that go with it. We’ll talk about Restless Leg Syndrome and REM Behavior Disorder, too. Those are the common ones. It’s the rest that really get a lot of interaction.

If you are ever interested in reading about some of the really crazy ones, I highly recommend the book by Dr. Carlos Schenck – it’s called Sleep.

Sleepwalking is a fun one to talk about. So is Sleep Related Eating Disorder! There are some really crazy videos on YouTube that will leave you speechless. You did read the cover correctly – there really is a sleep disorder called sexomnia!! Oh, and Exploding Head Syndrome sounds cooler than it is!

I’m looking forward to being able to teach again this Wednesday. I’m just glad that I am feeling good enough to be able to do it. I’ll have a bag of cough drops and lots of water with me … just in case!

I truly hope that I can continue to be a part of their EEG learning a week or two each year. It is a lot of fun for me.

Still Using My Voice

Not too long ago, my boss at the sleep lab left to pursue another opportunity. Before she left, she asked me if I would be willing to speak to an EEG class at the Carnegie Institute. It was something that she was lined up to do and with the new position, she was unable to do it.

I have done a few presentations for my job. I have spoken at a local sleep conference, presented at a senior living center, and other various appearances. This is something that I truly love to do, so naturally, I said I would do it.

There are a lot of similarities between sleep and EEG, but also a lot of differences. This talk, and the one next week, will offer the students a look at the sleep side of things. Tonight I presented a basic “intro” to the students and will go into the various sleep disorders next week.

The director and the president of the institute were there to greet me when I arrived and were both very pleasant. I felt very welcome. They showed me the room I would be presenting in and got me set up.

It was a nice group of students and they asked some very good questions throughout my presentation. The class is supposed to take a couple ten minute breaks, but they opted to not take them tonight, which allowed my to finish a tad early. (From my days in the college classroom, I can tell you that I always loved when the class let out a bit early.)

As with most classes, there were those who bolted as soon as I was finished and those who hung out afterward to ask questions about sleep in general, CPAP, and even getting into sleep after being in EEG.

I am really looking forward to next week’s presentation!