Nic Butkov, RPSGT began his career in sleep medicine at the Stanford Sleep Disorders Center in 1984. During his stay at Stanford, Nic was involved in a number of clinical and research projects under the direction of German Nino-Murcia, M.D. and Christian Guilleminault, M.D., including some of the first clinical trials of nasal CPAP conducted in the United States. After passing his registry exam in 1985, Nic began teaching at the School of Sleep Medicine (formerly the Stanford School of Sleep Medicine) under the direction of Sharon Keenan, R.EEG.T., RPSGT.
In 1986, Nic and his family moved to Oregon. Working together with Kathie Ordal, RRT, RPSGT, Nic assisted in the development and accreditation of the Sleep Disorders Center at Rogue Valley Medical Center. He also continued to acquire experience in teaching by regularly participating in the courses at the School of Sleep Medicine in Palo Alto.
In 1992, Nic Butkov and Dr. German Nino-Murcia founded Synapse Media,, Inc. Together, they produced their first two video cassette training programs for sleep technologists, Introduction to the Polysomnograph and Electrode Application. In 1993, Dr. Murcia passed away, after a long fight with cancer. The following year, Nic completed a third video cassette program, the All-Night Sleep Recording, which he dedicated in memory of Dr. Nino-Murcia.
After completing the All-Night Sleep Recording, Nic began working on the Atlas of Clinical Polysomnography. The Atlas was completed and published in 1996. During that year, Nic also joined forces with Michael Schwartz, RPSGT, to form the School of Clinical Polysomnography at Rogue Valley Medical Center in Medford.
At the present time, Nic Butkov continues to serve as Faculty Member for the School of Sleep Medicine, as well as President and CEO for Synapse Media, Inc., and Associate Director for the School of Clinical Polysomnography. Nic also independently consults for physicians, technologists, laboratory managers and other health professionals seeking training and education in sleep medicine and technology. A native Russian speaker, Nic has recently been named Advisor and Faculty Member for the Sleep Center at the Presidential Medical Center of the Russian Federation in Moscow, to assist with the development of sleep medicine education in Russia.
