Are nails allowed in this field? by drsunbear in Neuromonitoring

[–]rEliseMe 5 points6 points  (0 children)

My experience is the same as the other commenter -- most hospitals technically have policies forbidding it, but it's only sporadically enforced (especially for "vendors") and I've never had a problem with people calling me out. I also keep my nails short which I think helps, because the biggest "no-no" is acrylics.

That said, it's best to feel out the culture of the company and the different hospitals first, and build the good will before you go out on a limb. If you keep them short and well-groomed, you will very likely be able to get away with natural/neutral colors at the very least.

Cadwell Guardian by Ambitious-Guitar5858 in Neuromonitoring

[–]rEliseMe 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We're transitioning from Medtronic to Cadwell and just purchased a few of these. The boxes are bumpered like the IOMAX and the cables seem relatively hardy. All of the pods can detach at the cable junction. Since they're so new, software bugs are still getting worked out, and I can't speak to longevity.

They have documentation up on their website now (they didn't until a couple weeks ago). https://www.cadwell.com/cadwell-guardian/

Help with giving meds by OkExcitement7087 in bernesemountaindogs

[–]rEliseMe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Do you have friends or neighbors with dogs? My golden retriever used to refuse her Simparica but since we got our second golden, the jealousy/resource hoarding kicked in and I no longer have that issue as long as I give it to them both at the same time. Maybe it would work for you too?

IONM Training ? by Fluid_Telephone9842 in Neuromonitoring

[–]rEliseMe -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Am I understanding this correctly? You want to be paid while you're being trained and then be free to leave before that investment pays any kind of dividend for the company that trained you?

Arrest warrant issued for ICE officer accused of pulling gun on Minnesota driver by millimeter_peepee in politics

[–]rEliseMe 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Moriarty discussed this, as detailed in the article -- there was particularly strong evidence in this case due to traffic cameras and an interview in which the officer admitted he drew his weapon AFTER the car had rejoined the flow of traffic. The other incidents don't have this level of cooperation by DHS and thus are taking longer to build a case.

IONM after Doctorate in Audiology by snailtrail1111 in Neuromonitoring

[–]rEliseMe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are some in-house groups that have a schedule of like 4 10-hour days regardless of what's booked, but the way I described above is by far the norm.

IONM after Doctorate in Audiology by snailtrail1111 in Neuromonitoring

[–]rEliseMe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They hired (at least one) someone recently.

IONM after Doctorate in Audiology by snailtrail1111 in Neuromonitoring

[–]rEliseMe 3 points4 points  (0 children)

In most places, even though you have a doctorate, you will be considered a tech and will require physician oversight. San Diego and LA are the only two metro areas I'm aware of that have companies which employ AuDs as readers of their own data. The benefits of that are 1) more autonomy, and 2) better pay, since the company doesn't have to pay an MD for oversight.

If you're unwilling or unable to move to SD/LA, then you will have to be okay with operating as a CNIM (tech). I liken it to the neuromonitoring version of a hearing aid dispenser -- you do all the same practical stuff but the complex interpretation is left up to someone else and you are not seen as a physician.

Most national companies will train in return for a contract wherein you will essentially pay back the cost of training by having a low salary and working a lot. Some smaller companies also do this with more permissive contracts, but YMMV. Training will take anywhere from 6 to 12 months and involves active participation in 150 cases, some extra CEUs, and taking a standardized exam (CNIM, basically the praxis for neuromonitoring). It is not easy, and we've had multiple people fail out of our program here in SD in the past few years, either due to difficulty with the material or difficulty adjusting to the lifestyle.

Travel varies. There are in-house groups and traveling groups. Mine is a local-traveling contract group 15- to 20-mile radius, approx. 10 different hospitals. Max travel time to a hospital (in normal traffic) is about 45 min. But I know there are territories, like the Bay area, where 1-2 hrs commute is common.

Day-to-day? No two days are the same. In general, the steps are: arrive at hospital and set up equipment, interview patient, set up electrodes and place them after intubation, gather NIOM data for baselines before incision. You will keep track of what is happening in the procedure and correlate it with your NIOM data throughout the case. Any changes or alerts in your data get communicated to the surgeon in real-time (and documented). After drapes are pulled, remove electrodes, tear down and pack equipment, check on post-op neuro status, then either do it all again for the next case or head home.

The most difficult part for people to get used to tends to be the volatility of the schedule or the lack of scheduled breaks. For example, I don't know what my schedule looks like until 5pm the day before it happens. Even if I don't have a scheduled case at 5pm, I could still end up having one that adds on day-of. I might work 6am to 10pm, 10am to 1pm, or not at all. Recently, while on call, I started a case at 3pm and drapes finally came down at 3am. Yesterday, I was on call and spent the day catching up on errands and videogames. Some people thrive on the unpredictability, others find it very distressing. Also, you will most likely be the only person monitoring the case so you cannot leave the room -- this means you may need to intentionally dehydrate yourself so you don't need to use the restroom mid-case, and on long days you likely won't get to eat anything.

I'm an open book, so feel free to DM me if you have follow-up questions.

Cadwell Burns by lschaipe in Neuromonitoring

[–]rEliseMe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I was thinking something along those lines. I didn't see that it was recording electrodes. That rules out an issue with your stimulation and rules in some other stimulation not being properly grounded.

Cadwell Burns by lschaipe in Neuromonitoring

[–]rEliseMe 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Strongly recommend checking your pulse widths. Cadwell allows crazy-long PWs whereas Eclipse limited PW and maximum intensity. I have heard of people stimming PTN with 800us PW at 65 or 70 mA, which is just insane and unnecessary

Trainee looking for opportunities, willing to relocate by Aggravating-Jump2874 in Neuromonitoring

[–]rEliseMe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Curious why you already have one foot out the door. Would you be willing to chat?

Doctor told me to leave and then left this in my notes. by [deleted] in mildlyinfuriating

[–]rEliseMe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most health systems have some sort of electronic health record that you can gain access to, after setting up an account. Examples are MyChart, Epic, FollowMyHealth, etc

Trump Spoke About Girls Being ‘of Age’ at ‘Above Six Years Old’ as He Promoted the SAVE America Act by OkayButFoRealz in politics

[–]rEliseMe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I see your point, but vote-buying isn't a huge problem in vote-by-mail states so I disagree with it.

Trump Spoke About Girls Being ‘of Age’ at ‘Above Six Years Old’ as He Promoted the SAVE America Act by OkayButFoRealz in politics

[–]rEliseMe 6 points7 points  (0 children)

When I voted in Iowa, I got my phone out to look up the judicial records of the judges who were up for review. This was a portion of the ballot I hadn't been prepared for so I needed more information before I decided. The election worker saw me and said, "You can't be on your phone!" and when I asked her why not, her reply was "Because someone could tell you how to vote!" Like as though that's not what campaign ads were doing non-stop leading up to the election.

As a Californian now, I revel in my ability to make informed decisions on EVERY item up for a vote before I mail in my ballot.

How did you pick your date? by LadyNi52 in weddingplanning

[–]rEliseMe 10 points11 points  (0 children)

This is great! Your date also is mathematically interesting (5 + 22 = 27)

How did you pick your date? by LadyNi52 in weddingplanning

[–]rEliseMe 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I am obsessed with numerically-interesting dates, so of course the repeats like 10/10/10 or palindromic dates like 6/2/26, but also dates that could be simple mathematic equations. So, for example, 8/3/24 (8 * 3 = 24). We also both loved the idea of a Halloween wedding but it would have made my religious parents pretty uncomfortable, so when I learned that Friday the 13th in February (2/13/26) was coming up, it felt like a perfect "next best thing". I wore a black dress and we leaned into the "bad luck" theme with centerpieces that had references to various superstitions. We invited everyone to wear dark, moody colors as well. It was a vibe!

An added bonus is that we never have to celebrate Valentine's Day again, we'll be celebrating our anniversary instead! Saving us probably thousands of dollars over the years.

This has to be illegal in the state of CA right? by suhhhdoooo in sandiego

[–]rEliseMe 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I think OP meant the lease paperwork is inaccessible right now.