Skilled Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Technologist
06.522.T.10

A highly skilled intraoperative neuromonitoring technologist who has monitored more than 1,200 cases for one of the top four neurological centers in the United States. Extensive experience in orthopedic, neurosurgical, interventional radiology, vascular and ENT procedures.

A natural leader and motivator with a collaborative management style who enjoys putting together high performing teams. At New York City’s leading hospital, managed a team of technologists who grew the EEG and LTM services from 5,366 to 14,200 tests per year over ten years, while decreasing the number of staff.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Huntington Memorial Hospital, Pasadena, California                                           2009-2010

Manager, Neurosciences Department

Managed neurosciences services, which included IONM, EEG, EMG, EPs, TCD, movement disorders and sleep for a 636-bed, not-for-profit hospital with an annual revenue of $471 million.

• Reorganized intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) services, which grew from 31 to 89 cases per month.

• Transcranial Doppler procedures grew from 2 to 21 per month.

• Managed a budget of $1.2 million annually, which included salaries, supplies and equipment.

• Managed, mentored, disciplined, prepared performance evaluations, wrote competencies and prepared work schedules for the staff, who performed 280 procedures a month, representing $6.3 million in revenue.

• Assisted the hospital in maintaining all accreditations and credentials.

• Continually coached the staff with measurable growth in performance and service excellence. 

• Provided backup for IONM, personally logging an average of ten OR cases a month.

• Developed educational programs for technical staff and the medical community.

Neurological Institute, New York/Columbia Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH), New York, New York                                                                                                                    1997-2009

Intraoperative Neuromonitoring (IONM) Specialist (2006-2009)

Performed IONM services for 1,250 brain and spine surgical cases for a neurosurgical center, part of an acute-care medical center with 1,200 beds.

Technical Director and Coordinator Adult Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (2003-2006)

Directed technologists, nurses and epileptology fellows in an eight-bed epilepsy monitoring unit.

• Monitored 1,680 Phase I patients and 208 Phase II patients over a 24-month period.

• Worked with neurosurgeons in the OR recording electrocorticography.

• In conjunction with epileptologists and neuropsychologists, conducted functional brain mapping, involving direct stimulation of cortical tissue.

• Assisted the medical staff in teaching fellows how to read EEG.

• Developed educational programs that taught EEG technology to nurses and Electroneurodiagnostic (END) students.

• Personally reviewed and annotated 1,200 patient days of EEG data.

Instructor of Clinical Neurophysiology Technology (concurrent with other duties, 2003-2009)

Under the direction of Lewis Kull, worked with other instructors in developing curriculum for clinical neurophysiology (CNP) students.

• Graduated four classes of students, most of whom completed ABRET registration.

Technical Director and Coordinator, Clinical EEG (2003)

Reorganized the Clinical EEG Department, improving productivity and instituting new protocols. Increased long term monitoring from 2 to 20 patients daily.

Creator and Coordinator, Long Term EEG Monitoring (1997-2003)

Created techniques, shaped software, and developed procedures and protocols that facilitated continuous EEG recordings in critically ill patients.

• Assisted in the development of EEG software, including Persyst on data reduction programs.

• Developed electrode application techniques that enhanced the longevity and quality of long-term EEG electrode integrity.

• Beta tested software from companies, including Nicolet, Stellate and XLTEK.

• Co-authored a paper on continuous EEG.

Neuropace Inc., Palo Alto, California                                                                 1998-2000

Technical Consultant, New York, New York (part-time on weekends)

Reviewed, identified and clipped EEG data from seizures recorded from the adult and pediatric epilepsy monitoring units at New York Presbyterian Hospital. Neuropace is a privately-owned medical device manufacturing company that was engaged in research for the development of a device that aborts seizures. This device has since become an important treatment for refractory epilepsy.

William Tomori and Jack Florin MDs, Inc. (renamed Fullerton Neurological), Fullerton, California                                                                                                                    1975-1990

Chief END Technologist

Provided EEG, evoked potentials, ambulatory EEG, carotid duplex scans, echoencephalograms, multiple sleep latency testing and intraoperative neuromonitoring for a neurological and neurosurgical private practice.

• Set up, managed and manned 11 satellite labs at hospitals and outpatient clinics in the North Orange County area to support two specialists and a large ambulatory service line.

• Recruited, hired and trained seven technologists.

• Purchased all equipment going into each hospital lab.

• Had extensive training by equipment manufacturers and independent trainers in the use of all testing equipment.

• Grew the outpatient testing services by 1,200%.

Neurographic Medical Testing, Downey, California                                             1972-1974

Electroneurodiagnostic Specialist

Performed portable EEGs and echoencephalograms at various hospitals in Los Angeles County for a privately owned neurologic and neurosurgical practice with four neurologists and two neurosurgeons.

Beverly Hospital, Montebello, California                                                             1971-1972

Chief Technologist

Performed EEGs, ECGs and other neurological and cardiological testing for a privately held community hospital with 259 beds.

• Purchased equipment and set up the EEG and ECG labs. Scheduled all outpatients, maintained data and issued reports and billing.

EDUCATION

Empire State College, Syracuse, New York

Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration (Class of 2011)

Mendocino College, Ukiah, California

Liberal Arts Studies (1990-1993)

Rio Hondo College, Whittier, California

Applied Sciences Studies (1974-1979)

Point Loma College, Point Loma, California

Liberal Arts Studies (1969-1970)

PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS

Registered EEG Technologist (R.EEG.T.) by American Board of EEG Technologists (ABRET), Registration Number 843
Associate Examiner for ABRET, 2002-Present
CNIM eligible

PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS

Polarity; Is Negative Really Up and Is Positive Really Down? 14th Annual Conference of the Charles E. Henry Society, Teaneck, New Jersey, 2005
The Inadequacy of Standard Screen Resolution in Viewing Intracranial EEG Recordings, 2004
Annual Conference of ASET, Las Vegas, Nevada, 2004

RESEARCH

Frequency analysis of intracranial EEG recording for evaluation of standard sampling rate and monitor screen resolution, 2004
Development of data acquisition and reduction techniques for use in several LTM EEG papers, 1998-2000
Data reduction in the development of spikes and seizure detectors for Persyst Software and XLTEK Instruments, 1998-2000
Development of digital EEG data reduction tools for Persyst and XLTEK Software, 1998-2006
Beta EEG software testing for Nicolet and XLTEK Instruments, 1997-2007
Technical and research assistant for seizure abortion using electrical stimulation for Neuropace Inc., 1998-1999
Exploration and development of new skin adhesives for use in electrode application, including cyanoacrylate, 1997-2000

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Catherine A. Schevon, Tommy Thompson, Lawrence J. Hirsch, and Ronald G. Emerson; Inadequacy of Standard Screen Resolution for Localization of Seizures Recorded from Intracranial Electrodes. Epilepsia, October 2004; 45: 1452-1458
Thompson, Tommy B., Cyanoacrylate Better Than Collodion? American Journal END Technology; 42:119-121,2002, ASET, Iowa
J. Claassen, MD; L.J. Hirsh, MD; R.G. Emerson, MD; J.E. Bates, BA; T.B. Thompson, R.EEG.T and S.A. Mayer; MD; Midazolam Infusion For Refractory Nonconvulsive Status Epilepticus. Neurology, Sept. 2002; 57: 1036-1041.

END TRAINING

Advanced Topics in EEG, New England Society of Electroencephalography Technologists, 2002
Basic Concepts of EEG, University of California, Los Angeles, 1976
Basic and Applied Electroencephalography, University of Southern California, School of Medicine, 1971-1972
Inservice Clinical Training, Ranchos Los Amigos Hospital, Downey, California, 1971-1972
Editor: Western Society of END Technologists, 1980-1982

PROFESSIONAL AFFILITIATION

American Society of END Technologists

MANAGEMENT TRAINING

Organizational Behavior, Empire State College, Syracuse, New York, 2009-2010

Continuing Education, Certificate Courses, Huntington Hospital, Pasadena, California

Communication Skills: The Fundamentals
Changed Acceleration Principals Training
Resolving Conflict
Managing Employee Relations Issues
Providing Effective Coaching
Setting Performance Expectations
Providing Effective Feedback