Getting the Word Out
Followers of The Steven Colbert Report know he has a segment called “The Word”. It’s a regular feature that involves taking a word or phrase that you probably won’t find in Webster’s Dictionary. His shtick is attributing a humorous meaning or idea to the made up word. Many of us will agree that miscommunication or poor communication often leads to inefficiencies or ineffectiveness. Small groups of individuals often develop their own language, phrases or ideas that every person in the group acknowledges, but that very few outsiders get. Such is the case with our own small group of players here at the Atlanta School.
This weeks’ “word” is Sallie Mae. We’ve been talking about it here for months. Now I know you’re asking who is this lady and why should we care about her? I heard that this was the name of a government backed loan program but knew very little about it. I was under the mistaken impression that Sallie Mae is a real person who loans you cash. Well it turns out that Sallie Mae is the nation's leading provider of education funding. They offer a wide range of loans to meet the needs of students and schools. Sallie Mae is a Fortune 300 Company and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
As many of you know we launched our AASM approved ASTEP program in January. We’ve received hundreds of calls about the program and many prospective students have asked about funding sources. We now have an answer: Sallie Mae. The Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine and Technology can now direct students who need financing to Sallie Mae for help. The approval process was no cake walk and we are very proud that the Sallie Mae organization recognizes sleep technology as a legitimate career path and our program to be qualified to participate in their program. Shortly you’ll find a link directly to Sallie Mae’s web site and a special code for the Atlanta School will be available which will streamline the loan application process.
We are pleased that individuals who want to be sleep technologists can begin their training with us even if they do not have the personal financial resources on the front end. We are convinced this is an excellent career opportunity and look forward to serving many new students.
Russell Rosenberg, Ph.D, D.ABSM
Program Director