A career in electroneurodiagnostic (END) technology wasn't the first thing
Donna Krawchuk had in mind. "I started here as a secretary in the lab and
found myself totally interested immediately," she says. "I thought I might
like to be a tech but didn't think I'd ever be accepted for a training program."
But Krawchuk was chosen for a spot in the hospital's two-person program.
Through a combination of the program and on-the-job experience, she became
certified as an electroencephalogram (EEG) tech, then moved on to electroneurodiagnostics.
"I love what I do, especially in the area of seizure surgery. That's where
a person has partial seizures and we put wires on their scalp and earlobes
to do an EEG. The test allows the doctor to pinpoint the area where the seizures
occur. This kind of specialized testing and surgery can change people's lives
completely and gives me a great deal of satisfaction."
Margaret Walcoff, president of the American Society of Electroneurodiagnostic
Technologists, fell into the career. She has a master's degree in education
and taught school when her husband was transferred to Georgia.
Multiple sclerosis research at the Medical Center of Georgia, some on-the-job
training, hard work and excellent instructors brought Walcoff to the END tech
life. Now she's director of the Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Disorders Center
in Hickory, North Carolina.
"I love this growth and diversity and the variety of people that I work
with every day. One day I might be doing tests on a baby and the next day
it could be a 95-year-old. You really need a multitude of skills to do well
in this field."
William Riordan agrees. "I've always liked 'people jobs' but wanted something
more challenging. So about 15 years ago, I looked at something in the health-care
field and since I've always been interested in the brain and spine, I chose
neurophysiology. I was just fascinated by it."
Riordan is chief technologist in the Neurophysiology Lab at the University
of Rochester Medical Center in New York. He's also a member of the ASET Board
of Trustees.
An associate degree in electroneurophysiology technology was the path for
Gabriella Mollica-Lazzaro. Now she's a registered technologist at a children's
hospital.
"I wanted to do something in health care but I didn't want to go to school
for any long, established period of time." Mollica-Lazzaro completed a two-year
course and was offered a job. On-the-job training led to her certification
as an EEG tech and the current position.
"I love being around children and doing something to try and make them
better. That's very satisfying to me. The diversity of the job makes the days
go much faster -- no two are ever the same. Sometimes I have to try and calm
down the kids, but that's understandable. No one likes things
strapped onto them, especially young people. Any problems that we have get
solved real fast."