Angela DeBerry-Bailey
Sleep technician,
TCC alumnus
“For me, the highlight is being able to give excellent customer service and medical care, as well as have personal time with patients – it gives me a high that they’re comfortable relying on me.”
With an interest in healthcare careers and a number of nursing classes under her belt, Angela DeBerry-Bailey spotted a new program at TCC that would fit her life – and turn her into a nightowl during the workweek.
TCC’s Polysomnography certificate program prepares technicians to work in the growing field of sleep-related illness such as sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, insomnia, narcolepsy, and post-traumatic stress. Aptly nicknamed “sleep,” the intense one-year program launched in 2006 as an outgrowth of TCC’s Respiratory Therapy (RT) degree program.
“I’ve always been interested in the clinical side of medicine, and ‘sleep’ is a perfect fit,” says Angela. She found the field intriguing a few years ago when she worked as a receptionist at a sleep lab in Missouri. But at that time, sleep therapy required a full RT degree, something she couldn’t take on with a Navy husband and a growing family.
A few years later, now living in Norfolk with her husband deployed, Angela needed to contribute to family finances. The sleep program caught her eye and matched the need. Though she decided to bunk her three children with her mother in Missouri while she went through the demanding clinical rotations, Angela says it’s all paid off.
“It’s a big responsibility,” she explains. “We monitor heart, brain and oxygen levels for each patient and provide basic care during the night.” She also handles records and paperwork each shift, delivers data to doctors, and starts off by evaluating the mental state of each patient. back to the top |
