Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Program

This CAAHEP-accredited program allows the completer to follow ABRET Pathway I towards certification (CNIM). The IONM student is able to document approximately 30% of the 100 cases required to sit for the CNIM.

Completers of the IONM certificate program will learn to accomplish the following:

• Collaborate as an integral part of the interdisciplinary operating room team, delivering professional competent neuromonitoring, which results in improved patient outcomes;
• Utilize critical thinking skills essential to the IONM technologist, enabling the technologist to excel in the monitorist’s role;
• Understand, recognize, and engage in research- and information-seeking strategies to maintain accepted standards of professional behavior while using evidence-based medicine as an IONM health care specialist; and
• Work within the ethico-legal framework of the profession.

The board examination for IONM is an ABRET Certification in Neuro-Intraoperative Monitoring (CNIM). 

The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs (CAAHEP) has established a threshold of 60% board pass rate to maintain accreditation. As these data indicate, Labouré College of Healthcare IONM graduate board pass rate is just above the CAAHEP threshold in total.  

Graduates are not required to take the board examination to work in any state. Further, graduates do not have a deadline by which to take the boards after graduation. 

Intraoperative neuromonitoring is a great fit for a unique kind of student. Utilizing both direct patient care and extraordinary critical thinking skills, students in IONM not only have to be experts in Neuroanatomy and neurodiagnostic technology, they must also possess exemplary communication skills. As an intraoperative neuromonitorist, you need to feel comfortable talking with patients about the procedure and also working with a diverse team in the operating room. Advocating for the patient during surgery is just as crucial as interpreting the delicate world of the brain and central nervous system. Students who have been successful in IONM come from all kinds of backgrounds- neuroscience, sports, even geology. There is no “perfect” profile for an IONM student- just a million different ways to be a dedicated, self-starting, independent, team player with exceptional clinical skills.

Yes. This is a new and emerging field. For safety precautions, more health insurance companies are beginning to demand a qualified neuromonitorist to be present during operations. Labouré’s program is one of the first in the country and its graduates will be among the first group of college-educated, certified IONM specialists.

With few opportunities for education in IONM, there is a push by hospitals, surgeons, and professional organizations to further standardize its practice and teaching. The demand for competent and certified neuromonitorists is huge and right now there are very few of them out there. Even more pressing is the need for high-quality, accredited programs to educate the next wave of IONM graduates. Labouré College is excited to be at the forefront of IONM education, with faculty and clinical instructors who are experts in the field with years of experience and research behind them.

Salaries in Massachusetts can range from $75,000 to $125,000, depending on position, rank, number of shifts worked, etc. Current national rates range between $50,000 and $100,000. (indeed.com)

A neuromonitorist performs a variety of specialized recordings, including electroencephalograms (EEG), evoked potentials (SSEP, BAEP, MEP), electromyography (EMG), cranial nerve (CN live and triggered, SEMG/TEMG) and peripheral nerve (PN) monitoring techniques.