What's it like to be a Neurodiagnostic Technologist? Meet Jayson Leach, R.EEG.T

In Concorde's ongoing series of Alumni spotlights, we turn our attention to a 2017 Concorde - San Bernardino Neurodiagnostic Technology program (NDT) alum, Jayson Leach, R.EEG.T.

Leach's story is one that many can relate to and offers inspiration to those who may be in the same spot he once was.

How Did You Get to Concorde?

Leach went through the 18-month NDT program, but his path there was anything but straight." I graduated high school in Kansas in 2014 and moved out of my mom's house a couple of weeks after that. I did my freshman year of college at a community college in another city about an hour away from my hometown," Jayson says, "After finishing that, I packed up everything I owned and drove to California, where I worked in a grocery store for a few months to save up some money."

It was while working at the grocery store that Jayson decided to pursue neurodiagnostics. "I wanted to learn about the brain and also be able to have a practical use for knowing that information."

[Editor's note: A Neurodiagnostic Technologist typically records electrical activity in the brain and nervous system for diagnostic purposes. A technologist can support vital health care applications such as diagnosing and treating seizures, sleep disorders, coma states and more.]

Jayson was shocked how fast everything happened, "While doing this (working at the grocery store), I applied and was accepted into Concorde's NDT program and was enrolled before I even had a place to live near the campus."

Keeping His Eye on the Prize

Getting accepted into the program was an awesome feeling for Jayson. Like any mountaintop story, there were a few valleys. "Throughout my time at Concorde, I moved into four different homes." he says, "It was challenging, but through the help and motivation of my classmates (Big shout out to J. Jones for helping me get my first EEG job) and the progress I was making in school, plus the desire to not ever have to be hungry again, I had the motivation and help to drive me to complete my program."

Becoming an NDT

It didn't take Jayson long to get hired, "I was hired by an EEG company (Global Monitoring Inc.) in February of 2017 and a week before I walked [at commencement] I was hired by my current company Physicians Ancillary Services. At the end of July, I packed up everything I owned again and drove to New York, which is where I am currently living."Being a neurodiagnostic technologist, according to Leach, is, "Incredibly rewarding and motivating."

"To know that all of the work I put into understanding the information given to me in the program has made me a more competent and competitive person in this field. Mostly I feel like the guy in the Matrix movie who plugs the cord into the back of everyone's head and is typing the green cascade code into the computer."

Jayson recently passed the second part of his boards in May and can now put a special set of five letters behind his name: Jayson Leach R.EEG.T (Registered Electroencephalographic Technologist)

Quick fun fact about Jayson is he's been working on a book for almost three years and it's nearing completion, so maybe we'll be seeing some published work from him soon?

Becoming a Neurodiagnostic Technologist

If Jayson's story has inspired you and your thinking of becoming a neurodiagnostic technologist or maybe your thinking of a career in health care, Concorde is here to help.

To learn more about what it takes to become a neurotech or about any of our other health care programs at Concorde Career College, contact us today!