PCO AuD (audiology)

[chicoborja]

Just wondering if any pre-ODs out there have any opinions about the Pennsylvania College of Optometry also have a doctor of audiology program (AuD). I have a Comm. Disorders undergrad and plan on going into a graduate audiology program (though not PCO because of locale). I like this shift in audiology to the doctorate and aligning itself with optometry as opposed to the traditional alliance with speech pathology. Audiology and optometry seem to have many parallels: 1-Both have medical counterparts (OD, OMD----AuD, ENT MD) 2-Both make their money off selling a product ( glasses/contacts v. hearing aids) 3--both take part in screening for surgery (lasik vs cochlear implants)
4--both are experts in their respective diagnostic testing

Though they are differences:

1-audiologists do not have even limited prescriptive authority
2- audiology is a much newer profession and less well-known
3-though premed requirements are used at PCO, as a whole a series of Speech/Hearing science classes are the usual requirement set forth by ASHA
4-insurance is not nearly as beneficial in audiology as it is in optometry

Any opinions or comments are welcome