The Maryland Board of Physicians recently posted a long-awaited update to the requirements for polysomnographic licensure.
This update to the professional licensing act is the fruit of many years of work by the MDSS to carve out an additional educational pathway, beginning with our last legislative effort in Annapolis in 2011.
With this change, both A-STEP and CAAHEP program are acceptable to meet the educational requirements (although the A-STEP pathway requires some additional items including competencies and a certain number of documented hours in the field).
In addition to sponsoring the initial legislative carve out, the Maryland Sleep Society had participants who served on the committee of the Board of Physicians to help develop these requirements. These ongoing efforts have been persued with the feedback, financial support, and encouragement of the members we represent. Not only does the regulatory change help increase the options and training pace for newcomers to the field, it also helps long-credentialed RPSGTs from other state be eligible to work here. This will improve patient access.
We hope this information is helpful. Please note that the MDSS cannot give advice or legal opinions on what these changes may mean for an individual circumstance. If you have questions, we encourage you to reach out to the Maryland Board of Physicians.
There are several A-STEP providers in the area, which can be found here: http://www.aasmnet.org/astep/Providers.aspx