Electroneurophysiology

Explore advanced topics related to the central nervous system anatomy and physiology and its immediate relevance to the practice of electroneurophysiology with an emphasis on electroencephalography (EEG). Students deepen their understanding of the normal central nervous system (CNS) anatomy and neurophysiology and learn to apply the neurological exam to assessment of nervous system function. Discussion of related material encountered in the clinic, lab, or other courses is encouraged and active participation in learning will be expected. Evaluation of learning will include quizzes, exams, and self-evaluation of participation.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

Integrating concepts from psychology, sociology, and interpersonal relations, students learn to respectfully address the psychosocial needs of patients and collaborate successfully with other members of the health care team. Empathy and interpersonal communications skills are emphasized; as these provide the basis for crucial employability skills, such as managing stress in both self and patients, reducing the frequency and intensity of conflict, and working effectively and respectfully with specific populations and those from other cultures. Responsible, professional and ethical conduct is underscored. Weekly lectures integrate clinical scenarios, role plays, and class discussions. Active participation and engagement with material is expected. Evaluation of learning is based a range of assignments, examinations, and active participation.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

Explore advanced topics related to the peripheral nervous system anatomy and physiology and its immediate relevance to the practice of electroneurophysiology with an emphasis on nerve conduction studies (NCS) and electromyography (EMG). Students deepen their understanding of the normal peripheral nervous system, muscle, and neuromuscular junction (NMJ) anatomy and physiology and learn to apply the neurological exam to assessment of nervous system function. Discussion of related material encountered in the clinic, lab, or other courses is encouraged and active participation in learning will be expected. Evaluation of learning will include quizzes, exams, and self-evaluation of participation.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

Develop workplace communication skills that support your success in healthcare careers. Working individually and in groups, learn to produce professional, clear, concise, and audience-appropriate messages including online and face-to-face modes of written and spoken communication. Apply strategies to develop successful job application packages, write bad-news as well as direct messages, and submit short reports. Practise communicating with videoconferencing tools to connect and collaborate with classmates and colleagues. Additionally, learn how to design effective presentations in groups and/or individually and practise public-speaking skills for various-sized groups. As a bridge to the next course in the communication series, students also begin to identify workplace-related issues that can be investigated in an applied research project during their first clinical placement. This includes problem identification, ways to research scientific literature and a plan for investigation. Evaluation includes a range of assignments that demonstrate the application of concepts covered.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

Through a range of lecture and applied labs, become familiar with theoretical and clinical applications in the field of electroencephalography. Students form a fundamental understanding of the electronics behind the recording and processing of an electrical signal, and engage with the basic principles and concepts related to the recording of brain waves. Starting with an overview of recording techniques and related topics such as electrical safety, digitization, waveform recognition, and localization, students become familiar with the EEG machine, electrode application, normal and abnormal EEG waveforms, artefacts, awake/drowsy/asleep states and activation procedures. Students begin their clinical application of these concepts during laboratory activities practicing application and recording skills on fellow classmates following CAET (Canadian Association of Electroneurophysiology Technologists) guidelines. Seminars and reading sessions allow for practice of normal and abnormal EEG interpretation and formulation of a technical EEG report. The essential skills of taking a relevant patient history and developing professional interaction with all patients is also practiced. Assessment includes a range of assignments, lab activities, and examinations.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

​Describe and apply basic principles of nerve conduction studies to develop nerve conduction techniques for performing routine motor and sensory nerve conduction studies (NCS) and late responses in accordance to minimal technical standards. Emphasis for learning is on basic normal recording theory, techniques and interpretation. Techniques acquired in the lab assignments provide the technologist with introductory skills required to perform NCS as an entry level technologist, performing routine NCS in a laboratory setting under the direction of a registered technologist. Hands on practice in laboratory classes supplement the theoretical learning. Evaluation includes a range of lab and theory assignments, quizzes, and exams.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

​The students in this course will gain the fundamental knowledge and skills for patient care in an interprofessional environment, learning about, from, and with other health professional learners. Students will be introduced to health and safety measures, learn how to complete a variety of basic healthcare procedures, and develop competency in the use of equipment commonly used in various healthcare settings. This course will provide the knowledge and skills to effectively support patients during various clinical skills. Theory is supported with supervised laboratory activities designed to give students opportunities to apply critical thinking and manual skills to a variety of patient care situations.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

Explore the physical principles of physics and their applications to electroneurophysiology. This includes measurement (including graphing, data reporting, and unit conversion), scalar and vector quantities, electrostatic forces, electrical fields, electrical potentials, equipotential surfaces, and the electric dipole field. Additionally, vector components with Cartesian and oblique axes are analyzed in the context of electrode placement and voltage readings from the scalp. Electrical current, driven by electric potential differences is introduced along with the properties of the capacitor and the resistor as basic circuit elements. This is a lecture-based course with assessment primarily being through assignments and examination.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

This course presents a continuation on ENPY1262 – Electroneurophysiology (EEG) 1. You will apply concepts learned in the prerequisite course to complete EEG recordings on cooperative patients in hospital laboratories, according to the Canadian Association of Electroneurophysiology Technologists (CAET) Minimal Technical Standards. Emphasis will be on hands on learning, running records and reading EEGs in the clinical setting. Topics covered include abnormal and normal EEG waveforms and clinical conditions diagnosed by EEG. You will also be exposed to testing of patients using other electrodiagnostic procedures. Students are expected to be able to perform a complete EEG and provide a technical description on any cooperative patient by the end of this term. You will be evaluated by your preceptor at your assigned hospital. However, BCIT instructors retain final responsibility for the student’s status in the course.
Prerequisite(s):

• ENPY 1262

Build on central nervous system knowledge with advanced study of pathophysiology of immediate relevance to the practice of electroneurophysiology with an emphasis on EEG, including seizures, epilepsy, and other CNS disorders. Application of the neurological exam to diagnosis of a range of disorders will be an overarching theme. Discussion of related material encountered in the clinic, lab, or other courses is encouraged and active participation in learning will be expected. Evaluation of learning includes assignments and examinations.
Prerequisite(s):

• BHSC 2218

This course, a continuation of Human Behaviour 1, further explores concepts of behavioural science relevant to the electroneurophysiology technologist's concerns. Topics include: a review of and expansion on human interaction skills, ethical and legal issues, human development, and common patient psychosocial issues.
Prerequisite(s):

• BHSC 2239

Build on peripheral nervous system knowledge with advanced study of pathophysiology of immediate relevance to the practice of electroneurophysiology with an emphasis on NCS and EMG, including general neuromuscular pathology, major disorders of movement and sensation, and electrophysiologic methods of assessment. Application of the neurological exam to diagnosis of a range of disorders will be an overarching theme. Discussion of related material encountered in the clinic, lab, or other courses is encouraged and active participation in learning will be expected. Evaluation of learning will include assignments and written exams.
Prerequisite(s):

• BHSC 2318

Develop skills in conceptualizing an applied research project. Working in teams or individually, learn how to plan, conduct, write, and present an applied research project at the literature review and research proposal level. The project process includes refining a research topic, writing a thesis or problem statement, creating an outline, and developing a literature search strategy, using both primary and secondary sources. To demonstrate skills learned, students write a short paper (e.g., literature review, research report, or research proposal) to industry standards and with the appropriate citation style. Finally, students will prepare professional presentations (slides or poster) for healthcare experts and present to various-sized audiences.
Prerequisite(s):

• COMM 1181

This course is a continuation on ENPY 1262 – Electroencephalography (EEG) 1 and will prepare you for your clinical year. You will apply concepts learned in the prerequisite course learn to accomplish complete EEG recordings according to the Canadian Association of Electroneurophysiology Technologists (CAET) Minimal Technical Standards. Using lectures, seminars, and labs, the emphasis will be on hands-on learning, classifying recordings and running records with minimal assistance within laboratory settings. Topics covered include a detailed look into clinical conditions and their associated EEG waveforms: seizures, epilepsy, vascular diseases, tumors, metabolic and infectious diseases, dementia, degenerative diseases and traumatic brain injury. A solid demonstration of understanding all basic normal and abnormal EEG concepts is essential for doing well in this course. Assessment includes a range of assignments, lab activities, and examinations.
Prerequisite(s):

• ENPY 1262 and ENPY 2551

​Enhance knowledge of normal nerve and muscle anatomy and function as well as disease states (common and rare) encountered in an electrodiagnostic laboratory. Correlate patient history and clinical symptoms to select the appropriate nerve conduction study protocol for evaluation of patients’ peripheral nervous system. Hands on practice in laboratory classes supplement the theoretical learning and provide opportunities for students to accomplish advanced NCS recordings in accordance to minimal technical standards. This practice provides students with skills to perform NCS as an entry level technologist, performing routine and advanced NCS in a laboratory setting under the direction of a registered technologist. Evaluation includes a range of lab and theory assignments, quizzes, and exams.
Prerequisite(s):

• ENPY 1263

Building on a foundation of electrical safety, students learn the electrical and magnetic interactions underlying the technology and methods employed routinely in electroneurophysiology. Direct current and alternating current circuits are introduced, including the concepts of impedance of resistors and capacitors and their use as simple circuit filters. The oscilloscope, used as a method for visualizing waveforms and the parallel with digital EEG trace recordings is highlighted. Differential amplifier operation and the minimum acceptable specifications for their use in ENPY are explored along with digitization, sample rates, and the Nyquist limit. The scalp electrode is modeled and its relationship to the low pass AC filter. Additionally, students learn about magnetism and the principles of magnetic induction and its application to magneto-encephalography, electromagnetic waves, basic definitions of photometry in the context of photic stimulation used in electroneurophysiology, and the CAET photic stimulation guidelines are also introduced. This course will be a mixture of lectures, and tutorials. Assessment includes a range of assignments and examinations.
Prerequisite(s):

• PHYS 2282

Concentrate on advanced topics pertaining to EEG in the field, including but not limited to; epilepsy surgery monitoring, the seizure investigation unit, continuous long-term monitoring, quantitative EEG, other specialized localization techniques for epilepsy, as well as an introduction to neurophysiology as it pertains to EEG patients. Students enhance knowledge on clinical conditions and their EEG correlates with a specific focus on congenital diseases, headaches, pain and psychiatric disorders. This course is offered in an online format during students’ clinical period, and where possible, students are encouraged to bring forward real-life (de-identified) clinical cases for discussion and joint learning. Assessment includes on-line discussions/participation, assignments and written examinations.
Prerequisite(s):

• ENPY 2262

Learn the knowledge about the correlations between clinical presentation and electroneurophysiologic findings of the most common neuromuscular diseases. These include: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Charcot Marie Tooth (HMSN Type I)/CMT, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP), Guillain-Barre Syndrome/Acquired Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (AIDP), Lambert Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS), Myasthenia Gravis, Werdnig-Hoffman (SMA) and Kugelberg-Welander (adult onset SMA), Diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and other peripheral nerve injuries and disease processes that may be present. Correlate patient history and clinical symptoms in order to select appropriate nerve conduction studies for patient’s peripheral nerve evaluation. Students engage in evaluation of clinical findings and analysis of combined electrophysiologic pattern of abnormalities on nerve conduction studies in most common neuromuscular diseases. Evaluation of learning is conducted through a range of online activities, case study presentation, quizzes, and examination.
Prerequisite(s):

• ENPY 2263

Evoked potentials and intraoperative monitoring techniques are additional modalities performed by Electroneurophysiology technologists. Students are initially introduced to the use and recording of visual evoked potentials (VEP), auditory evoked potentials (ABR) and somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) as they pertain to clinical evaluation of the visual, auditory and sensory pathways. Emphasis will be on recording and stimulation parameters as well as waveform interpretation but will also touch on clinical correlation. The second half of this course will expand on this topic to include the use of evoked potentials and other modalities (EEG, motor evoked potentials and electromyography) in the operating room. Emphasis will be on recording and stimulation parameters of all modalities as well as interpretation and application during various neuro and vascular surgeries. Physiological and non-physiological factors affecting intraoperative monitoring and when it is important to alert the surgeon of changes during monitoring will be evaluated. This course is offered in an online format during students’ clinical period and it is expected that the learning will enhance their conceptualization of the breadth of ENPY technologists’ practice. Assessment includes on-line participation, assignments and written examinations.
Prerequisite(s):

• ENPY 2263 and ENPY 2262

This course presents a continuation on Electroneurophysiology (EEG) Clinical 1. Students will apply concepts learned in the prerequisite course to accomplish complete EEG recordings on all patients in hospital laboratories according to the Canadian Association of Electroneurophysiology Technologists (CAET) Minimal Technical Standards. Emphasis will be on hands on learning, running records and reading EEGs in the clinical setting with topics covered to include abnormal and normal EEG waveforms and clinical conditions diagnosed by EEG. Students will also be exposed to testing of patients using other electrodiagnostic procedures. Students are expected to be able to perform a complete EEG and provide a technical description on any patient by the end of this term. At the end of the term, students will be employable as entry level electroneurophysiology technologists under the supervision of a registered technologist. Students will be evaluated by their respective preceptors at the hospitals to which they are assigned. Students are also expected to spend at least one additional month (a greater amount of time may be devoted to NCS/EMG instead of EEG after consultation with the program) performing NCS/EMG. During that time, students will observe and perform nerve conduction studies under supervision.
Prerequisite(s):

• ENPY 2551 and ENPY 2262 and ENPY 2263