Sentient Education Institute

In 2003, Sentient Medical Systems founded the Sentient Educational Institute (SEI), a training center designed to provide a standard educational curriculum for our neuro- and vascular monitoring personnel.  The SEI fills the growing need within Sentient Medical Systems to train new neurotechnologists as well as provide continuing education to experienced neurotechnologists. The education center, located in Fairfax, VA, occupies 3,000 square feet and is dedicated to the sole purpose of educating our neurotechnologists. 

Providing an education to our neurotechnologists requires more than just a state-of-the-art facility, but also includes an experienced doctoral-level faculty.  Director of the SEI, Robert Cox, Ph.D., heads the facility.  Prior to joining Sentient Medical Systems Dr. Cox was on the faculty at The University of California at Davis, where he taught, conducted research, and was involved in the University’s intraoperative monitoring (IOM) program.  Dr. Cox has many years of teaching and clinical experience which ensures that Sentient’s content and approach to education and training are comparable to that offered at the University level.

Dr. Robert Cox graduated from the University of Maryland with a M.S. degree in physiology and biochemistry.  He holds a doctorate in human anatomy and neuroanatomy from George Washington University, School of Medicine, located in Washington, D.C.  His research experience includes neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, biochemistry, and neurodiagnostics. Dr. Cox’s teaching experience includes courses taught at George Washington University Medical School, George Mason University, University of California at Davis, and Northern Virginia Community College. His  background in intraoperative monitoring includes deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor, evoked potentials (SEP, TcMEP, BAER), sEMG, tEMG, spinal degeneration, spinal deformities, cranial nerves, cortical mapping and stimulation, ERG, EEG,  TCD, and carotid endarterectomies. Dr. Cox’s research interests include IOM for prostatectomies, the use of the F-wave during spinal surgery, and the vestibulospinal tract. Dr. Cox is CNIM board certified and has published articles in several peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Cox’s educational efforts are supported by a doctoral-level faculty including Stephen Oppenheimer, M.D., Ph.D., Laverne Gugino, M.D., Ph.D., and Alexander Razumovsky, Ph.D.  Together, these individuals demonstrate more than 50 years of college-level teaching between them.

In addition to our doctoral-level faculty, Ms. Judy Giovinazzo works at the SEI, full-time, providing additional technical and clinical training to our neurotechnologists. Ms. Giovinazzo has a BS degree in cardiac physiology and has worked with Sentient Medical Systems for 6 years. 

The SEI is committed to fostering excellence in IOM and clinical neurophysiology.  We want to broaden the understanding of central nervous system function in health and disease through education, research, and the provision of a platform for discussion and interaction. Our educational objectives include reviewing the current knowledge of electroencephalography, evoked potentials, quantitative neurophysiological methods, transcranial Doppler, carotid duplex ultrasound, and related areas.  We also teach our neurotechnologists recent technological developments and the implications for IOM or clinical practice. The educational activity at the SEI consists of courses which include didactic lectures and accompanying material, presentation of scientific papers, thematic seminars, and workshops.

To further augment our educational process we have developed the largest library of articles concerned with IOM and neurovascular testing available. Our indexed library contains over 6,000 scientific monitoring and related articles. The library is constantly expanding as we peruse over 50 peer reviewed journals each month. Furthermore, the library includes relevant monitoring reference books, manuals, and workshop material. Each Sentient neurotechnologist can access the library for continuing education course completion, preparation of in-service seminars, or providing a surgeon with articles for monitoring almost any type of surgical or clinical case.

On-line courses are conducted to reach as broad an audience as possible within the company. These courses address common IOM subjects, both advanced and specialized. Each course is CEU credit certified for continuing IOM education. In addition, the SEI offers continuing education course lectures and operating room experiences in many aspects of IOM.

In addition to the courses we provide in IOM, the SEI also provides courses in neurovascular testing.  Each NeuroCare neurotechnologist can obtain further CEU credits through an education program designed to emphasize their skill needs. In conjunction with Dr. Razumovsky and senior technologist, David Pilchard, RVT, courses have been developed for testing with EEG, TCD, and Carotid Duplex in a clinical setting

The Sentient Educational Institute serves to provide an exceptional educational curriculum to our neuro- and vascular monitoring personnel at a state-of-the-art facility with qualified doctoral-level teaching staff. The use of modernized teaching tools, interactive learning, and accessible up-to-date research references equips our personnel with the knowledge needed to perform monitoring at its best.

 

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