Neurodiagnostic Personnel Qualifications

Every patient deserves quality neurological care.

Neurophysiologic procedures should be performed by qualified and appropriately trained professionals for optimal patient care. ASET partnered with the nationally recognized societies below to define the recommended levels of education, certification, experience, and ongoing education appropriate for neurodiagnostic personnel.

- American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM)
- American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (ACNS)
- American Society of Neurophysiological Monitoring (ASNM)

The position statement that resulted from this collaborative effort also outlines suggested job titles, responsibilities, and levels of supervision for neurodiagnostic staff.

Responsibilities of Neurodiagnostic Personnel

Technologist Qualifications Summary by Position

Neurodiagnostic Assistant

Position Title
Neurodiagnostic Assistant (formerly Neurodiagnostic Lab Assistant or Patient Observer)

Education/Certification
High school diploma or equivalent; ASET online course, LTM 100: Introduction to LTM for EMU Personnel Carroll et al. (2021)

Experience
At least 20 hours of EMU or ND lab observation^^
^^under the direction of a credentialed ND technologist (R. EEG T., CLTM, or NA-CLTM).

Modality-Specific Neurodiagnostic Specialist Qualifications Summary

LTME Specialist I

Position Title
Neurodiagnostic Technology Specialist I LTME

Minimum Education
associate degree or CAAHEP ND program graduate

Preferred Education
bachelor’s degree

Credential Status
R. EEG T.

Experience
1 year of experience after credential; 3 years in the field including at least 1 year of experience in LTM for epilepsy

Leadership and Education Positions

Technical Lab Supervisor

Position Title
Neurodiagnostic Technical Lab Supervisor

Minimum Education
associate degree or CAAHEP ND program graduate

Preferred Education
bachelor’s degree

Minimum Credential
1 neurodiagnostic technology credential

Preferred Credentials
2+ neurodiagnostic technology credentials (modality-specific: i.e., if supervising LTM, needs CLTM; if providing instruction in EEG, needs R. EEG T., etc.)

Experience
5 years minimum experience in neurodiagnostics

Position Title
Neurodiagnostic Education Specialist

Minimum Education
bachelor’s degree

Preferred Education
CoA-NDT CAAHEP-accredited bachelor’s program or advanced degree (i.e., master’s or doctorate)

Minimum Credential
1 neurodiagnostic technology credential (modality-specific: i.e., if supervising LTM, needs CLTM; if providing instruction in EEG, needs R. EEG T., etc.)

Preferred Credentials
2+ neurodiagnostic technology credentials (modality-specific: i.e., if supervising LTM, needs CLTM; if providing instruction in EEG, needs R. EEG T., etc.)

Experience
5 years minimum experience in neurodiagnostics and previous teaching experience

Non-Physician Neurophysiologist Positions

Recommendations for advanced practitioners and other qualified health care providers do not supersede applicable state law. Refer to the position statement for details.

Audiologist (lab)

Position Title
Audiologist (lab)

Minimum Education
Doctor of Audiology or holds current board certification

Experience
Has performed the minimum number of studies required by federal, state, institutional, and/or certifying organization regulations; Experience sufficient to have gained mastery of all aspects of testing.

Position Title
Non-Physician Neurophysiologist Performing IONM

Minimum Education
Diplomate of the American Board of Neurophysiologic Monitoring+ Doctoral degree*
*in physical science, life science, or clinical allied health from an accredited educational institution. Education must include successful completion of graduate-level neurophysiology and anatomy training.

Experience
IONM experience including case logs that document a minimum of 300 cases monitored with the primary responsibility for the clinical tasks in which the provider will participate.

Position Title
Senior Non-Physician Neurophysiologist Performing IONM

Minimum Education
Diplomate of the American Board of Neurophysiologic Monitoring + Doctoral degree in physical science, life science, or clinical allied health from an accredited educational institution. Education must include successful completion of graduate-level neurophysiology and anatomy training.

Experience
At least 7 years of clinical activity in IONM is required. Must meet requirements of non-physician neurophysiologist performing IONM as outlined above.

Physician Positions

Physician

Physicians (Doctor of Medicine M.D., Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine D.O., or foreign equivalent) who are neither neurologists, physiatrists, nor clinical neurophysiologists.

Clinical Neurophysiologist – Doctor of Medicine M.D. or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine D.O. who has successfully completed an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education ACGME-accredited fellowship in clinical neurophysiology or equivalent training prior to the establishment of accredited training programs as recognized by board certification (ABPN-CN, American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology ABCN, American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine ABEM).

Subspecialty Neurologist or Physiatrist – Doctor of Medicine M.D. or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine D.O. who has successfully completed an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education ACGME accredited fellowship in clinical neurophysiology (or equivalent training prior to the establishment of accredited training programs as recognized by board certification [ABPN-CN, American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology ABCN, American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine ABEM]) and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education ACGME-accredited residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation or neurology.

Neurodiagnostic Medical Director – Doctor of Medicine M.D. or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine D.O. with American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology ABPN or ABPMR board certification, case experience equal to or greater than that required for Subspecialty Neurologist or Physiatrist, and board certification in at least one area of clinical neurophysiology (ABPN-CN, American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology ABCN, American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine ABEM). AANEM Medical Directors shall meet additional qualifications.

For a print-friendly version of the qualifications summaries, click here.

The tables above are a summary and not an exhaustive list of requirements. Please refer to the detailed recommendations in the jointly published position statement, which can be found here: Guidelines for Qualifications of Neurodiagnostic Personnel.