Meet the Team: Dawn Clayton, RCP, RRT, RSPGT
Dawn Clayton joined ACHC in 2024 as a surveyor for our Sleep and DMEPOS programs. In her current role as an accreditation sleep specialist, Dawn draws on 25 years of experience in sleep medicine to guide organizations seeking ACHC Sleep Accreditation. She is passionate about helping sleep providers continue on a path of continuous improvement.
Posted: September 18, 2026
Dawn, how did you end up working in sleep medicine?
I like to think everything happens for a reason.
In college, I majored in special education. But then life happened, as it does, and I took some time off. Later on, I went back to school because I wanted to work in healthcare. Respiratory therapy looked interesting, so I jumped right in.
When I was in respiratory school, I worked third shift in a hospital. I ran up and down eight floors, being a “nebulizer jockey.” I learned a lot about what I wanted to do, and what I didn’t want to do. When I graduated, I took a role in a small, independent sleep lab. Some of my colleagues said, “You’re doing what?” They didn’t understand why I would even be interested in going into sleep.
The thing is, I have a relative with narcolepsy who’s been in multiple research trials. He has an event, on average, every 10 minutes, even when he’s medicated. I grew up witnessing how sleep disorders affect patients and their families. So, when I had the chance to go into sleep medicine, I thought, “Oh wow, I can help people like him to feel better?”
So that's the path I took, and I’m so glad I did. I'm still licensed in respiratory, and I'm still a respiratory therapist. But sleep is my passion.
When you worked in sleep labs, were you involved with accreditation?
Absolutely! I worked in three-bed labs, ten-bed labs, physician-run practices, hospitals, and everything in between. Eventually I became national director of clinical services for a large sleep company. And in that time, I got experience with just about every accreditor for sleep.
ACHC impressed me the most, every time. Nobody approaches sleep accreditation the way that ACHC does.
What makes ACHC special as a sleep accreditor?
That’s a long list. But I’ll start with the surveyors. The ACHC Surveyors were approachable and understanding. I felt like they were coming to assist me—not just with accreditation—but with my day-to-day activities. It was like they were there to help make my job even easier.
And then you became an ACHC Surveyor yourself.
It’s been a dream come true. I conduct surveys, and I’m also an accreditation specialist. That means I talk to our customers before, during, and after the survey, depending on the circumstances. I love this job, so wholeheartedly, more than any other job that I've ever had.
The ACHC Surveyors were approachable and understanding. I felt like they were coming to assist me—not just with accreditation—but with my day-to-day activities. It was like they were there to help make my job even easier.
You sound like a true ACHC Accreditation Nerd.
And proud of it! My nerdiness comes from caring deeply about sharing knowledge.
It all goes back to my first career path in education. ACHC has brought that journey full circle. I’m an educator at heart.
When someone doesn’t understand an ACHC Sleep Standard, I go into teacher mode. Seeing that light bulb go off, when people make connections between the requirement and their day-to-day? There’s nothing like it.
What questions you receive from organizations seeking ACHC Sleep Accreditation? Are there common points of confusion?
The first one I can think of... Well, it’s actually a good thing! When an organization switches to ACHC from another accreditor, they’re sometimes confused because we make it so much easier! Sleep labs have limited time. We respect that. So we don’t ask to see every single policy and procedure upfront. There’s no need to have all of that back and forth for months prior to the survey when we conduct a thorough review onsite.
The next thing that comes to mind is ACHC Standard SLC4-6D, which requires written documentation that monthly educational sessions have been conducted by the medical director or physician. I get a lot of questions about this standard.
It doesn’t have to be an in-person meeting. And “education” can be:
- Reviewing a standard.
- Discussing an update to a policy or procedure.
- Learning about new equipment in the lab.
- Sharing insights about an article on achc.org or something in our Did You Know? e-newsletter.
I tell our customers, “There’s no need to make this more difficult. Let's find the best solution for you.”
Dawn, if you had one tip for an organization preparing for an ACHC Sleep Accreditation survey... what would that be?
Well, this is more for first-timers. If you’re new to ACHC, know that there are no surprises. You’ll have a very good idea of what will happen during your survey. We even give you a document called “Items Needed for Survey,” and if you follow that, you’re in excellent shape.
And, for both new and renewing organizations: Ask questions! Our account advisors, our clinical and regulatory teams—They’re just amazing. I say this as someone who was once on the other side of ACHC as a customer... You will get a response to your question each and every time. You won’t land in someone’s voicemail and never hear from them again.
We are responsive, we’re your partner, and we want to help.
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Read more articles about Sleep Accreditation here.
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