Meaningful relationships lead to development and fulfillment. As they obtain positions at hospitals throughout the United States, they will be requesting the service and driving the need for skilled clinicians.Ģ. Surgeons graduating from medical school are now exposed to IONM during their residency programs and consider it standard of care. Studies show that the use of IONM has grown 267% in recent years. Having studied and worked in both areas, I can confirm that while there’s a fair amount of overlap between the two, there are also big differences, and they’re not what you might think.Īs an EEG technologist who became a Surgical Neurophysiologist, here is my take on what’s exciting about IONM: Whether you specialize in IONM or EEG, you can make a difference in people’s lives. In contrast, EEG tests are often used to detect brain abnormalities or disorders and other nerve function issues throughout the body outside of surgeries. IONM is typically used during orthopedic spine and neurosurgical procedures but is also used during vascular, ENT, and other surgeries where the nervous system is at risk, while EEGs are not exclusively used during operations. Intraoperative Neurophysiologic Monitoring (IONM) uses a variety of tests such as EEGs to detect potential injuries to a patient’s nervous system in real-time while undergoing surgical procedures.