Bellevue College’s spring quarter annually brings about the first-year neurodiagnostic technology (NDT) students practicing electrode application and recording electroencephalograms (EEG), which are more well-known as brain waves. NDT is a medical field specialized in monitoring and analyzing a patient’s nervous system. An EEG is the most popular neurotoxic test that measures the electrical activity in the brain through electrodes.
The current NDT students have, for the past two quarters, practiced using the International 10-20 system of electrode placement for EEG recording electrodes, and now they need volunteers to practice recording. The lab will be led by John Lott, one of the full-time faculty in the NDT AA degree program. This allows the students to get an experience similar to working in a clinic. The volunteers can sign-up for many different times and dates, going till May 24. The EEG will measure the electrical activity in the brain, and depending on the waves the students see, they can see if the volunteer shows signs of epilepsy, dementia or seizures.
The students will place 22 electrodes on specific, measured locations on the volunteer’s head. With the whole process taking about two hours, the students ask the volunteers to relax on the comfortable gurney. George Juszynski, faculty in the AA NDT program, described that the process of “the EEG recording is painless.” To prepare in advance, volunteers should come in comfortable clothing, and their hair should be clean and dry.
BC has many different degrees for those wanting to pursue a career in NDT, hosting jobs in hospitals, clinics, physician offices, epilepsy monitoring units, sleep disorder centers and research institutes. The NDT AAS lasts seven quarters, with about 95 percent of graduates being employed within a couple of months of graduating. The degree is selective, with about 70 to 80 percent accepted. Each year, there are roughly 12 admitted students. To apply, students must attend an information session, complete the NDT program application and submit additional required documents. Additionally, students will be interviewed by full-time faculty.
