Northern Essex Community College, which graduates sleep technologists, is now partnering with Neurocare Inc, an employer of sleep technologists in Massachusetts, to offer the program to Greater Boston residents, beginning in January.
“There is a tremendous demand for sleep technologists in the Greater Boston area, which is why we decided to expand our program,” says John Murray, program coordinator, in a release. “All 2017 graduates were placed in jobs.”
The 2-semester certificate program is offered online and students will meet once a month on Saturdays at a Neurocare sleep lab in Newton for clinical and practicum work.
Students are currently being recruited for this new program, and an open house is scheduled for Wed, Nov 8 from 5 to 8 pm at Neurocare, 70 Wells Ave, Newton, MA.
The field of sleep technology requires excellent communication and critical thinking skills. Technologists score studies, evaluate EKGs, take vital signs, and work closely with patients to explain sleep disorders and therapies. Starting salaries for sleep technologists are $19 an hour with the potential to earn up to $30 an hour, according to Northern Essex.
Neurocare has been a clinical site for Northern Essex students for 8years and recently decided to expand its relationship with the college.
“If we didn’t have Northern Essex, we wouldn’t be able to service our clients’ needs,” says Pam Hurlburt of Neurocare, who says she has confidence in the quality of the Northern Essex program and the preparedness of its graduates.
Neurocare is a provider of hospital-based sleep disorders management programs and freestanding sleep diagnostic centers accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
For more information on the new program in Boston, starting in January, or the Merrimack Valley program, which will begin again in September, contact Murray at 978-655-5892 or jmurray[at]necc.mass.edu.