Let's get some more audiologists on this forum..

[Dustbug10]

Here recently, we've had a few professionals(TennD, DrAudio, etc.) grace us with their presence and give us their perspective on real world stuff you can't pick up in the classroom or university clinic. Personally, I find their posts to be enlightening and motivating, regardless of any negatives. Passing down wisdom seems to be enjoyable for those who have been through it, and I enjoy receiving it. I propose that we track down the email of a working audiologist once per week or so through google search or our own personal connections. We ask them to come on to our forum and give us their 'testimony' so to speak. Sound good?

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[rEliseMe]

Here recently, we've had a few professionals(TennD, DrAudio, etc.) grace us with their presence and give us their perspective on real world stuff you can't pick up in the classroom or university clinic. Personally, I find their posts to be enlightening and motivating, regardless of any negatives. Passing down wisdom seems to be enjoyable for those who have been through it, and I enjoy receiving it. I propose that we track down the email of a working audiologist once per week or so through google search or our own personal connections. We ask them to come on to our forum and give us their 'testimony' so to speak. Sound good?

Love this idea! I'll ask my audiologist next time I go in for a checkup or observation.

 

[DrAudio]

I think that would be a great idea. I'm trying to think of anyone I know off hand that would be interested in participating.

I also think it would be pretty cool to have a "interesting patient" thread where discussions about different cases could ensue.

I've thought this would be a neat idea for practicing audiologists ina forum based format as well. Looking for that was actually how I came across this site. That way people could pass around ideas on "troublesome" or "I don't know what else to do" patients haha

-D

 

[AudioEngineer]

I also think it would be pretty cool to have a "interesting patient" thread where discussions about different cases could ensue.

Dr Audio,

I agree. The residential program at ATSU has clinical hours (in the community) from day 1 of year 1. We have a Grand Rounds class throughout the 4 years, where each student, in turn, shares an interesting case and explores the options for pathology and treatment with other students. The format is similar to hospital grand rounds. Typically, this issue has been resolved by a doctor already, but it gives us exposure to things we have not seen. I will plan to post my Grand Rounds report (HIPAA edited) when it is my turn.

There should be an Audiology Grand Rounds section attached to the AAA, ADA and/or ASHA websites. This would definitely help during those interesting cases.

 

[Dustbug10]

Dr Audio,

I agree. The residential program at ATSU has clinical hours (in the community) from day 1 of year 1. We have a Grand Rounds class throughout the 4 years, where each student, in turn, shares an interesting case and explores the options for pathology and treatment with other students. The format is similar to hospital grand rounds. Typically, this issue has been resolved by a doctor already, but it gives us exposure to things we have not seen. I will plan to post my Grand Rounds report (HIPAA edited) when it is my turn.

There should be an Audiology Grand Rounds section attached to the AAA, ADA and/or ASHA websites. This would definitely help during those interesting cases.

We have the same format. It is very interesting, despite being grilled by professors with questions afterward.

 

[DrAudio]

We had similar rounds cases at Rush. The hospital staff knew the hours of our rounds though so if they weren't busy sometimes they'd drop in and watch and/or comment.

I agree that there should be a "grand rounds" associated with one of the major organizations.

-D

 

[TennaciousD]

Just here to revive an old thread. I have not visited the site in several months, but was recently PMed which made me think of it again. I am a practicing Audiologist and am happy to answer questions or help as I can.

 

[cvan7]

What advice do you have for future Au.D students? I am in the middle of applying to grad school and would love some realistic advise regarding audiology as a profession. I think my situation may be unique as both me and my girlfriend are planning on entering an Au.D program in the Fall 2011 semester. We feel fairly confident about being accepted into a program, but a little worried about finding two jobs when we graduate. What has been your experience?

 

[TennaciousD]

cvan7, My first piece of advice for any prospective or entering Au.D. student is to choose your school very wisely taking into account how much debt you are going to have to incur in total. Especially in your case as if you two get married your debt load will be double. If at all possible choose an in-state school or a school that will provide substantial funding for the entirety of the program. Obviously you have to feel comfortable with a program, the faculty, etc., but when it comes down to it there are a lot of good audiology schools to choose from. You don't have to got to a "top 10" school or travel half way across the country just because it seems like a cool idea to live in "Alaska" for 4 years. For you guys you should apply to many schools to ensure you can go together and also take into account the financial packages for the both of you.

Audiology is a great field to work in. It is very rewarding, the work environment is typically great, jobs are plentiful, and there are many diverse options to specialize. However the salaries are lagging behind other doctoral level profession. The gap between what you have to pay for school (many schools $100,000+ total) and what you make coming out of school (50,000-70,000 if you are top notch student) is very big at the moment. It can hard to overcome this gap after graduation when you want to buy a house, start a family etc. Now the salaries are going up rapidly. I have seen many new graduates coming out making more than experienced Audiologists I know. It is up to all of us to fight for more salary and not accept jobs that pay below our educational level. By the time you graduate the starting salaries may be even better, but you should try and reduce your debt load as much as possible along the way. You will thank me for this advice 10 years from now.

Otherwise just be prepared for a substantial increase in effort and expectations when entering graduate school. It will fun and exciting, but some students struggle with the transition from undergraduate work to graduate work. There is a BIG difference. However as long as you are prepared for it you will be fine and settle in quickly. Good luck.

 

[cvan7]

Thanks for your response TennaciousD. What has been your experience thus far with finding work? I know it's a little early for me to be thinking about working as an audiologist (I'm not even in grad school yet), but I'd like to know how the process works and the direction you think the job market may head in the future. Thanks again.

 

[TennaciousD]

The job market really is pretty good. I cannot think of any new graduates over the past several years that did not find jobs. Now if you want to live in a specific city, then you may need a little luck on your side. Audiology is a small field and the smaller the city the less job opportunities will arise. You may also need to take less salary to stay in a particular geographic area, especially if that area is tyically on the low side anyway (South). However you can use your 4 year of graduate school (specifically your 2nd year summer externship and your 4th year) to make connections in the city you desire. The best way to find a job in a particular city is to make connections. If you are footloose and fancy free and will travel where ever the job market takes, then you can find exciting well-paying jobs all over the country. If have seen some students get some really cool jobs lately, specifically through the Veteran's Administration who pays at the high end of the pay scale. Good luck in school.

 

[TheEarDoc]

I'll be happy to answer any questions as a practicing audiologist.

 

[Dustbug10]

I am in my second year as an AuD student at the moment. While I can regurgitate academic knowledge, I believe that there is a gap in clinical abilities due to a lack of clients in the clinic on-campus, as well as the fast paced nature of my offcampus location. At this point in my studies, what areas in the clinic do you feel I should already have mastered?

 

[TheEarDoc]

The basic hearing evaluation should be like second nature. You should be able to grab a thorough case history, otoscopy, tymps with reflexes and AR decay, pure tone air/bone, WRS and SRT all within about 25-30 minutes. This leaves you usually with 10 minutes or so for extra tests (quickSIN, OAE's), and around 15 minutes for counseling or amplification discussion. That is to say for the typical SNHL patient. When you start throwing in pediatric specialty population or crazy middle ear issue cases then this time will take longer because you aren't going to be as fast at masking and other procedures to weed out things such as malingerers.

You should also have a basic knowledge of some of our specialty testing such as ABR's and VNG's/ENG's, maybe not necessarily how to interpret results, but a basic knowledge of how they work and what info they can tell us so you can recommend them when appropriate.

Also you should have a basic knowledge of the different types of hearing aids and their benefits, uses, and drawbacks and the typical cases of when you'd recommend a BTE vs. an open fit or receiver in the ear. The best way to learn more about hearing aids is to pick a couple companies and start reading. Also most of the clinics will have the hearing aid programming software. My computer during grad school had fitting software from Starkey, Widex, Phonak, Resound, and Oticon on it and I was constantly looking at the programming software. That's the way you learn amplification is by doing. You should also be able to check a hearing aid from the factory to make sure it's in working order with a listening check, and also be able to do listening/functioning checks for hearing aid drop off's and how to do basic cleanings of hearing aids.

Now eventually you can get crazy like I am and be able to remove an ITE faceplate, clean the inside circuitry, solder broken wires, and replace receivers if need be. Most audiologists don't know how to do these things, but if you want to learn places will teach you. I just wouldn't do this unless the hearing aid is out of warranty and the patient asks you to try and do what you can.

 

[cocoa]

I'm interested in hearing about why you guys chose this profession, and how you knew it was the right one for you!

Also, I graduated with a BA in mass communications, but I'm interested in this field and have done about 100+ hours in volunteering/observation at a clinic in LA. I've also taken a couple of science courses (bio, anatomy) at community colleges and I'm studying for the GRE, but is there anything else I should be doing to help with my application? I'm thinking about applying next fall. Should I do more volunteering at other clinics? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[Dustbug10]

The basic hearing evaluation should be like second nature. You should be able to grab a thorough case history, otoscopy, tymps with reflexes and AR decay, pure tone air/bone, WRS and SRT all within about 25-30 minutes. This leaves you usually with 10 minutes or so for extra tests (quickSIN, OAE's), and around 15 minutes for counseling or amplification discussion. That is to say for the typical SNHL patient. When you start throwing in pediatric specialty population or crazy middle ear issue cases then this time will take longer because you aren't going to be as fast at masking and other procedures to weed out things such as malingerers.

You should also have a basic knowledge of some of our specialty testing such as ABR's and VNG's/ENG's, maybe not necessarily how to interpret results, but a basic knowledge of how they work and what info they can tell us so you can recommend them when appropriate.

Also you should have a basic knowledge of the different types of hearing aids and their benefits, uses, and drawbacks and the typical cases of when you'd recommend a BTE vs. an open fit or receiver in the ear. The best way to learn more about hearing aids is to pick a couple companies and start reading. Also most of the clinics will have the hearing aid programming software. My computer during grad school had fitting software from Starkey, Widex, Phonak, Resound, and Oticon on it and I was constantly looking at the programming software. That's the way you learn amplification is by doing. You should also be able to check a hearing aid from the factory to make sure it's in working order with a listening check, and also be able to do listening/functioning checks for hearing aid drop off's and how to do basic cleanings of hearing aids.

Now eventually you can get crazy like I am and be able to remove an ITE faceplate, clean the inside circuitry, solder broken wires, and replace receivers if need be. Most audiologists don't know how to do these things, but if you want to learn places will teach you. I just wouldn't do this unless the hearing aid is out of warranty and the patient asks you to try and do what you can.

Thank you for posting this. We do have access to NOAH on campus that I could easily be browsing through. As for the test battery, I can pretty well handle with ease with the exception of masking (yes, still need a cheat sheet). The testing portion is significantly less thorough at my off campus private practice location.