Letter from the President

Fall 2017

I’m writing this on the heels of the MSET Annual Fall Conference held at Henry Ford Hospital in West Bloomfield, feeling as if we just won the American League Pennant and am really pleased with the big WIN. 2017 has been a phenomenal year for MSET with two successful meetings providing the opportunity to earn 11.5 ASET continuing education credits to more than 140 people. We are truly fortunate to have had so many neurologists and fellow neurodiagnostic technologists willing to speak and share their knowledge in multiple areas of interest. The MSET membership has also grown and we currently have 74 active members, that’s more than we’ve had in nearly ten years!

During the annual business meeting we received really good feedback regarding alternative options to earn continuing education credits in addition to our annual meetings. I reached out to ASET this morning and think that offering webinars and/or evening educational opportunities should work out. Of course, will have to apply for CEUs and offer speaker honorariums so the registration for these events will be what makes it financially possible. The Board will hopefully be able to begin planning and putting your ideas to work soon. Also, I mentioned that we all need to step up to the plate. We get requests for presentations on topics other than EEG, those of you that do IOM, EP, EMG/NCS, MEG please consider sharing your knowledge with others.

Speaking of the board, I was floored by the number of nominations received on Saturday. It’s great to see so many members take interest in our organization. We have so much talent and enthusiasm among our ranks. If you have not yet submitted your nomination, please do so Oct. 31 (nomination form attached). Elections for MSET Board Members are being held Nov 15 – Nov 30, results announced by December 15. All active MSET members are eligible to cast their vote.

Years ago, when I was searching for continuing education and help with EEG board prep I came across MSET.  I reached out to Connie Kubiak, who was president at the time and the next think I know I was headed off to my first MSET meeting in Traverse City AND speaking at it. I still don’t know how she talked me into that but I stepped up to the plate, I didn’t want to, I was terrified, but I did it anyway. Then I met Mary Harvey and Greg Miller. To me, Connie, Mary and Greg are MSET.  They have kept this organization going when no one had the interest nor took the time to keep it afloat.  For many years they have devoted their time and talents to furthering the mission of providing affordable educational opportunities to neurodiagnostic technologists.  There isn’t any financial incentive for board members but volunteering helps foster a sense of pride in helping others and also reap the benefit of making lifelong friends. My presidency will not to go down in history, I am not one to bang the gavel, but I am so very proud of having the opportunity to serve my fellow neurodiagnostic technologists by bringing together a spring and fall meeting each year. I am also grateful to have made so many friends from all over the State and across the country during my tenure.  And let me not forget fellow board members,  Eileen Hyde, Renee Krebs, Rony Aouad, Mallory Schmidt and Bina Vashee.  All of these people have worked hard behind the scenes preparing for our conferences.

One of the best parts of the day on Saturday was talking with two former Carnegie students.  I worked with them at Carnegie this time last year, it was early in their course and they were still struggling with measuring and marking heads for EEGs. I told them to look back one year and see how far they’ve come. They are now both working at Henry Ford and reveling in all the excitement of a Neurodiagnostic department in a big hospital. They are proud of themselves and looking to all of you veterans to welcome and mentor them. Don’t let them down, step up to the plate!

A special thank you to Mary Harvey who really took me under her wing as a former past president when our recent past president was unable to fulfill the duties. Mary was my “go to” person and was always patient and very helpful to me. On top of that, she continues to monitor our website and all that comes with it!

So, in keeping with my corny baseball theme, SPRING TRAINING (spring meeting) is just around the corner.  Please reach out to me ASAP if you would like to host.  Planning phase starts now.  If I don’t hear from anyone I will hold it here at Troy Beaumont.  We can use the smaller classrooms if needed as some people found the big auditorium not quite so “cozy.”

Please feel free to reach out to me at elizabeth.fischetti@beaumont.org or call me at 248-964-8549.

With gratitude to the membership,

Liz Fischetti, R. EEG T.
MSET President

November 2016

On the heels of the national election we find ourselves pondering our own election.  Who do we vote for? What are their qualifications? What is it they can do for us?  Please take the time to read about our candidates and their aspirations.

As I end my first year as President I reflect on what I can do to make our organization stronger.  I want to find a way to reach all of the neurodiagnostic techs in our state.  Social media is one way to do this and I am looking for volunteers that would be willing to manage a Facebook site weekly.  Social media is a great way to communicate as long as someone is the gatekeeper.  But how do we get the word out to other techs that don’t know anything about us?  I know there are members out there that are thinking “ oh my gosh Liz, it’s simple! Just do…….” YOU are who I want to hear from…Give me your ideas, your recommendations, your thoughts on process improvement!!  I love to learn new things, new ways to do something, and I love to meet new people.  Email me anytime at [email protected]

I have already reserved the space for a Spring MSET meeting.  It will be held Saturday, May 6, 2017 at Beaumont hospital in Troy, Michigan.  We  have just opened a new learning center, complete with an auditorium that seats 175, classrooms, computer rooms and simulation labs. We have plenty of room for vendors, so please share any vendors names and contact information with me.  We are lining up speakers so if you would like to share your knowledge please contact us and we can get you on the agenda!  I think you will all be pleased with this venue.  The only downfall is that you must park in the parking structure and wind your way to the learning center but I promise to have the breadcrumbs on the floor to lead you from the parking structure to the learning center.  We also have late September 2017 on the books for the annual fall meeting, slated for St. Mary’s in Saginaw.

As we close the year of 2016 I want to wish you all a very happy and relaxing Holiday season.  I hope we can all enjoy the fruits of our labors with family and friends.  It the hustle and bustle of the season remember to stop and count your blessings, I know I will and I count you all among them.

I thank you all for your continued support of MSET, I hope that I may be successful in this year to come  in bringing you all the continuing education you search for.

Sincerely, Liz

January 2016

Hello and Happy New Year!

My name is Liz Fischetti and I am the newly elected MSETs president for the 2016-2018 term.  The new year presents lots of changes for us all, some personal, some professional.  We hope that MSET will be able to assist you in your quest for professional continuing education and will strive to make it affordable and accessible.  We are in the process of collaborating with health systems on the west side of Michigan as well as southern Michigan for our annual spring and fall conferences.

Let me tell you a little about myself and how I came into being the new president of MSET.  It was nearly ten years ago that I was working as a solo tech in a cardiology department that also housed the EEG department.  Having already had experience in performing EEG studies I was asked to help out in the lab which I did willingly.  Shortly after that the full time technologists retired and I was working part time and then full time covering the EEG lab.  My manager encouraged me to sit for boards and I thought she was out of her mind.  I come from the years when hospitals would cross train their staff into different modalities within their department.  I had never attended a formal END program but had performed thousands of EEGs.  I had great hands on experience but no formal education.  Something inside me told me to try and I began searching for some affordable ways to educate myself further and that is how I came across Connie Kubiak and the MSET board.  Before I knew it I was not only attending an MSET meeting I was SPEAKING at one!!!  WHAT? I said to myself!  I hate public speaking and I don’t know any of those people.  Again, something inside me prodded me along and I ended up meeting some wonderful people who are great resources in the field of neurodiagnostics as well as great friends.  The next thing I knew I was being nominated (thanks Larry!) to the MSET board and the rest is history.

The reason I shared my little story is because I want you to realize that MSET is here for all of us, but it is only as good as we make it.  Sometimes we need to push ourselves out of our comfort zones just a bit. Get up from your chair behind the conference table and stand in front of it and share what you know with us!  We need the expertise of all of you, working in all areas of neurodiagnostics.

I would like to encourage all MSET members to become involved in our society.  It is the membership that can strengthen an organization.  I am happy to report that we had some new nominations for the MSET board this year but I am not quite sure that the membership understands that it is also their responsibility to vote for the nominees.  It is not the board members that elect nominees it is the entire membership.

Our society needs more involvement from our technologists offering to speak at conferences too.  We have so much to offer to each other, so many “tricks of the trade” if you will.  Whatever your strength is please consider sharing it with others.  Presentations do not always have to be power points, you can make it interactive or even hands on.  We are always looking for someone to share their expertise.  I know what you are thinking as you read this “I don’t like to speak publicly” and I completely understand that because neither do I!

I hope to be an asset to this organization and to be able to “pay it forward” when it comes to what I have gained from this society.

Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns!  And I hope to see you all at our next meeting.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Fischetti, R. EEG T.

Spring 2013

2013 ….. wow it seems like just a couple of years ago we were worried about Y2K and its implications and just yesterday the end of the Mayan calendar.  People have for far too long focused on “the end” of things instead of focusing on “what is now” or “what is to come”.  That is my goal: to focus on MSET as it is today and to keep us current in our education, utilize the resources we have available, but also to remember where we came from.

I was given a rather large box at the end of last year that contained MSET information dating back so far that off the top of my head, I can’t remember all of the documents.  One day I was sifting through it all and organizing it in a way that works for my OCD brain.  I saw old meeting minutes, educational materials, etc.  In looking at some of the education materials, I was pleasantly surprised at how so much of it is still very relevant today…..who would have thought that things that were from the 80s would still be relevant in 2013?  In my head I compare a cassette tape boom box to and iPod and am shocked at that change, but still marvel at how much of what we do remains the same!  In looking at those old materials, there is so much history and information that should be shared with you all.  My intention is to put all of that out on the MSET website to share with our membership.  It may take me some time to scan some 30+ years of information, but believe me when I tell you how great some of the “goodies” are.

2013 is a year of celebration for MSET as we celebrate our 40th anniversary.  During those 40 years there have been much growth.  People have grown, our technology has grown and the key to it all is our membership has grown.  The most important thing that has remained constant is the commitment that MSET has to its membership and to neurodiagnostic technicians and technologists, and that is to provide affordable continuing education for those who need it.  That has not changed, that will not change, but that will grow, and I’m very excited to be a part of that!

2013 brought in some changes to the Board of Directors of MSET.  I have stepped up to the plate as acting President of the organization under the wonderful tutelage of Past-President Mary Harvey.  I am extremely excited about leading MSET and have some wonderful people to work with.  I welcome Greg Miller back for a second term as Secretary/Treasurer of the organization.  Greg has so much knowledge and passion that I often find myself in awe of him!   Eileen Hyde was re-elected to serve another term on the Board,  and I welcome Renee Krebs to the MSET Board of Directors.  I am truly excited to work with all of these individuals as well as Liz Fischetti and Brian Carlton who are our returning Board Members.  Together, the Board of Directors keeps MSET on our path of being one of the leading and, in my opinion, best neurodiagnostic societies in the nation.  We owe a large part of that to our membership and leadership.   So, I would like to personally thank you all for your commitment to MSET, without your commitment, MSET would likely cease to exist, and that simply cannot happen.

I would like to extend a special thank you to both Mary Harvey and Connie Kubiak.  Both Mary and Connie have been such a source of inspiration for me and are two people I rely on to help me keep MSET always first and foremost in my focus.  They have both been a great source of knowledge and have worked many years tirelessly to make MSET what it is today.  And I just now realized how big of shoes I must fill!

Plans are currently underway for the Spring Conference.   I was hoping and it was my intention to have everything all set and ready to go by this point, but unfortunately, things did not work out that way.  The agenda has finally been posted, I am anticipating a few additions to the lineup.  I am so thrilled with what is coming to be.  The conference will have a NDX and PSG focus with the morning being a joint session and some afternoon breakouts.  I’m very excited about St. Mary’s Grand Rapids hosting the conference for us.  The folks there have put in a lot of work and I truly appreciate the help they have been.

The fall conference is going to be something special.  The Board of Directors in conjunction with some of the MSET Past Presidents are working on making it an incredible two day conference with fascinating speakers, current and trending topics, loads of history and some fun thrown in.  We are extending an invitation to the Indiana and Ohio neurodiagnostic professionals and it is my intention to invite members of the Central Society as well.  I expect it to be nothing short of an amazing educational and networking opportunity.

Sometimes I feel like I am forever a cheerleader, and I’m okay with that.  So here goes my “spiel”!    MSET is an organization that runs solely on the talent and volunteer efforts of the Board of Directors, Officers and members.  We are always looking for people who would like to volunteer within the organization.  No job is too big; no job is too small for any volunteer to fill.  It is a challenge to run a successful organization such as MSET with limited personnel.  If anyone out there is interested in helping out on a committee, volunteering to assist at conferences, etc., please feel free to contact any of the board members.  It’s really a lot of fun!  When we get together, it’s always a hoot!  Ask yourself, what could YOU contribute to MSET….think about it!

With that, I’ll get off my proverbial “high horse” and wish you all a wonderful spring (if it ever gets here) and hope to see many of you in Grand Rapids in April for an exciting time in West Michigan!

Warmest Regards!

Donna Jacobs, MSET President

January 2012

The start of each year seems to prompt a slew of resolutions, commitments, and initiatives to eliminate the behaviors preventing us from achieving self-actualization. Well… as I dislike admitting to failure I resolved many years ago to never make another New Year’s resolution, especially one that is doomed to fail. My rationale has as much to do with my distaste for failure as my admittedly long list of deficiencies and inadequacies; I couldn’t possibly accomplish so much change in just one day.

Each new day provides us a renewed opportunity to make a difference through our communication, choices, attitude, and actions. This year allows me 366 opportunities to spend a few more minutes with my children as I tuck them into bed; savor each moment with my elderly parents; appreciate my husband; volunteer; reconnect with an old friend… make a new one; listen more… talk less; pay it forward; expect less… give more; compliment more… criticize less; gain knowledge… lose misconceptions; practice tolerance and respect; accomplish more… ponder less; sleep more… clean less. Surely, far too many character enhancements to make in just one day!

I especially am looking forward to 2012 and my fulfilling my responsibilities to the membership in this final year of my tenure as MSET President. My overall goal is to make a positive impact on the future growth and continued success of our organization. I appreciate the support of the membership and especially the Board of Directors for their service and contributions of time, energy, and talent. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has” by Margaret Mead.

Just to name a few accomplishments we’ve made over the past couple years:

1. Website launch – msetinfo.org
2. Online payment option
3. Online conference registration
4. Bylaws revision
5. Delineation of committee responsibilities
6. Formation of Historical Committee
7. Sponsorship program
8. Conferences in the north, west, and mideast portions of Michigan
9. Collaboration with national societies
10. Facebook and Linkedin profiles
11. Nominations and elections
12. Membership growth and retention

Yes, we’ve accomplished much but we’ve only just begun. Plans are currently underway for the Spring 2012 MSET Meeting which will be held in southeast lower Michigan. The Annual Fall Conference will again be in Saginaw at St. Mary’s of Michigan. 2013 is a monumental year in that MSET will be celebrating 40 years of providing affordable neurodiagnostic educational opportunities. Plans are already underway for a two-day conference with special guest speakers, social event, cutting edge neuroscience, neurodiagnostic and polysomnography topics, officers reunion, lecture/workshop educational format, reunion, and inviting our neighboring state society members in Indiana and Illinois.

Elections were held last fall, thanks to all who voted… your input really does count. Congratulations to Donna Jacob, MSET President-Elect. Donna has been an active MSET member for several years, served on the Board of Directors, Website Committee Chair, and hosted the Spring Conference in Kalamazoo in 2011. She brings to this position her energy, enthusiasm, and a keen vision for propelling MSET into the future. Liz Fischetti was reelected to another two-year term and welcome to Brian Carlton, our newest board member. We look forward to your contributions of talent and knowledge and appreciate your commitment to our organization. Many thanks also to veteran board members Greg Miller, Eileen Hyde, and Kasey Fox; your continued efforts and enthusiasm are… priceless.

Lastly, thanks to Connie Kubiak for all you’ve done throughout the years in your support and dedication to MSET. Where to begin? Mentor, teacher, friend, supporter, leader, role model, advisor, and consummate MSET champion. Looking forward to your continued contributions to MSET as Chair of the Verne Hulce Award and Historical Committees. If you happen to drop by St. Mary’s Neurodiagnostics, don’t be surprised if you hear one of the techs blurt out “WWCT” when faced with a “what’s the right thing to do” EEG case scenario? That folks… is what I would call “making a difference.”

Respectfully,

Mary Harvey, MSET President

Fall 2010

Greetings,

I’m writing this on our nation’s Election Day. Although am frustrated with the mudslinging and derogatory remarks thrown about by our wannabe political leaders, I’m also so very grateful that I live in a society where I can make a difference by casting my vote. On a much smaller scale, each of also has an opportunity to make a difference in our profession by serving on a committee or as a board member in your professional society. One of the best ways to be heard (and seen) is to become involved. This may be in your community, school, Optimist’s Club, athletic association, wellness group, church, or maybe even MSET! Yes… MSET!!! We need people excited about their profession and eager to make a positive difference. That’s the only qualification one needs to become involved. Please note I did not include “spare time” as a qualification, we are all so very busy with our overwhelming schedules and to-do lists that if I were to include this MSET would likely cease to exist. As for the pay, well let me just say it’s…  priceless!

There is much going on nationally within the field of electroneurodiagnostics to report.  We can now officially describe what we do as a profession a bit more easily as ASET has decided to drop “electro” from our career classification. Personally, I think it’s a great change that will be a welcomed by most. We now only have to pronounce nine instead of thirteen syllables (yup, count ‘em) when telling people what we do for a living. And that’s just for the word “electroneurodiagnostics” Add the other four syllables by saying “technologist” and by the time we’ve said “electroneurodiagnostic technologists” well… Simplification is good, although I do have to admit it did sound really impressive.

MSET has been asked to participate in the national “Grassroots Campaign” to bring awareness to this allied health profession to government agencies and promote recognition in our profession. ASET is spearheading this campaign to provide us with the knowledge and infrastructure to deal with future challenges and opportunities for our profession. Although many may see this as an attempt to control or infringe upon our uniqueness, without a consolidated accurate database of the number of people actually perform neurodiagnostic (including polysomnograms) studies, we risk anonymity or getting grouped with other professions such as respiratory, cardiac, medical assistants, etc. This is a prime example of “strength in numbers.” Without standing up and being counted, it’s as if we don’t count at all.

So… I hope each of you took the opportunity to vote on Election Day and please exercise your membership privilege to vote for your candidate of choice in the MSET elections.

Respectfully,

Mary Harvey, R. EEG/EP T., R. NCS T., CNIM
MSET President-Elect

Fall 2010

The Annual Fall MSET Conference was held at St. Mary’s Health Education Center in Saginaw, Michigan on September 24, 2010. We had a record number of registrants with 92 people in attendance! We saw many new faces and it sure was good to see our old friends again too. A diverse line-up of topics geared to both entry level and advanced technologists was presented to provide an engaging educational experience for all. Six (6) ACE continuing education credits were awarded for the program by the American Society of Electroneurodiagnostic Technologists (ASET).

The day began with a continental breakfast of fresh fruit & pastries and plenty of time to network and connect with others in our profession. The first speaker was Margaret Barkowski, Ph. D. who spoke on Freudian Dream Analysis. Then Kent Rice, D. ABNM from Biotronic Neuronetwork presented a wonderful overview on Neuroanatomy & Physiology. This was followed by Gary Dunbar, Ph D. who spoke on Huntington Disease and Sleep Disorders, very informative and enlightening. Eileen Hyde did a great job in helping us all to understand how to identify epileptic seizures in her talk on Epileptic vs. Psychogenic Seizures. The video clips she presented demonstrated the difference in a visual manner that won’t be soon forgotten.

The afternoon Neurodiagnostic & Polysomnography breakout sessions were informative, interactive, and fun. Donna Jacobs and Liz Fischetti presented a fun and lively EEG Pattern Recognition bingo game. Connie Kubiak gave us an update on EEG concepts and standard recording guidelines. Brian Nichols gave a great presentation on the Fundamentals of Evoked Potentials and Dr. Hasegawa spoke on Gamma Rhythm Utilization in EEG Recordings.

The PSG Section had plenty to offer also; Comorbitity in Sleep Apnea by Jason Gonczar and Challenges of CPAP Compliance was presented by Doris Allen. Greg Miller did a wonderful job of capping it all off of with an enlightening and lively session of PSG Record Review.

The Business Meeting was held following a delicious lunch in which we accomplished a lot in just 30 minutes. The membership unanimously approved the revisions to the By Laws and voted to change the election format to include the option of voting electronically (e-mail, member login, etc.). MSET board members were introduced to the membership and they each presented a report on their respective committees.

Mary Harvey announced the MSET membership fee will be a nominal fee of just $20.00 again for 2011 and $10.00 for students currently enrolled in a formal program; member benefits include discounted registration for all meetings throughout the year. The 2011 conference schedule will include a late spring meeting in Petoskey and an additional early spring meeting in Kalamazoo. The annual fall conference will be held on September 23, 2011 at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Saginaw (mark your calendars).

As Secretary/Treasurer, Greg Miller has obviously been very busy compiling a comprehensive database of our 86 active MSET members. Keeping tabs on all of the registrations, phone calls, e-mails, membership applications, etc. takes a lot of organizational skills. Thanks Greg, job well done!

Chairman of the Historical Committee, Connie Kubiak made us feel both nostalgic and humbled at the accomplishments and achievements MSET has made over the past 37 years. She has compiled quite a collection of newsletters, articles, and historical data that is impressive. Thanks Connie!

Donna Jacobs revealed the newly designed MSET website (msetinfo.org) to the membership. She has done a fantastic job of compiling numerous links to websites that we can now access links to information on Neurology; Electroneurodiagnostics; Intraoperative Monitoring; Polysomnography; and Nerve Conduction Studies. Donna has also established a “Members Only” section for MSET members to access the handouts to upcoming and past educational meetings. This will greatly assist in our “green” initiative by reducing paper waste and also result in a substantial savings with printing costs.

Matt Pavlovich, chair of the Verne Hulce Scholarship Committee informed the membership of the scholarship eligibility requirements. This annual grant is awarded to an active MSET member for the purpose of pursuing education in the field of electroneurodiagnostics.  This unique scholarship is awarded in memory of Verne Hulce, Ph. D. who regarded education as a never-ending quest and was a huge supporter of MSET’s vision of providing educational opportunities. Matt asked for nominations to the Board for the 2011-2013 terms, nomination forms are available at msetinfo.org.

Liz Fischetti, chairman of the Training and Education Committee proposed collaboration with the Epilepsy Foundation of America; she discussed options of training technologists to become facilitators for this organization.

Respectfully,

Mary Harvey, MSET President-Elect
Program Committee Chair

October 2009

Fall is in the air and changes are very apparent.  Since last I wrote to you, there have been many happenings with MSET.  The Fall meeting has come and gone.  Held in Saginaw, at St Mary’s of Michigan, it was very well attended.  We had approximately 60 people in attendance. With registration, they also received membership with MSET for 2010.  Topics discussed were wide ranging.  We had physician speakers, technologists and nurses also. There was lots of networking and mentoring during the breaks and at lunch. Thanks to all the vendors who supplied financial support and goodies for all in attendance.

The first annual Verne Hulce Award of Excellence was given to an attendee. Larry Head, of Larry Head Institute, donated one education program.  The recipient was selected at random by Larry and the honor went to Carrie Westhoff.  Carrie is finishing her on-line EEG Program this year and hopes to use award to assist in her R.EEG T.  Congratulations to Carrie.

There have been some changes to the MSET web site.  Stay tuned for more to come.  MSETinfo.org should be the site for all news and information for both members and non-members.  MSET is now on Facebook and Twitter.  While this is a new technology for yours truly, I look forward to “seeing” you and “tweeting”.

Elections are on the horizon.  We have a President-elect position and 2 Board Positions open.  Several people have stepped up and thrown their hats into the ring.  If you, or someone you know, is interested in running for a position, please contact me at [email protected] or Mary Harvey at [email protected].

Exciting things are coming.  Watch the announcements section for upcoming events, look for pictures soon of past events and watch for those election ballots.

As always, your comments and suggestions are appreciated.

Your MSET President

Connie Kubiak