Audiology for IONM

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zdlamkin8195

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I am currently working in Arkansas as an intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring technologist and I love the profession, but I want to further my education in order to advance within the feild. I have a BS in biology in 2009, and I have always wanted to get my doctorate. I have read about people who have gotten their AuD and/or PhD and working in IONM. Does anyone have any info on this? Another thing that I am worried about is salary. My current Salary is in the 60-70k range, so would it be a bad investment?

Also, Dust, I saw that you go to UAMS...how do you like it? (pro's/con's). Do you know of anyone doing both the AuD/Phd?

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If you are interested in advancing your education, you may want to consider audiology and cognition/neuroscience programs at UTD.

http://www.utdallas.edu/bbs/graduate/

AuDs, in general, do not make more than 60-70 k per year. Whether or not you would make more as a fellow of ABNM, you would prob be a better judge of that. Discuss this with your non-physician surgical neurophysiology colleagues.


I am currently working in Arkansas as an intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring technologist and I love the profession, but I want to further my education in order to advance within the feild. I have a BS in biology in 2009, and I have always wanted to get my doctorate. I have read about people who have gotten their AuD and/or PhD and working in IONM. Does anyone have any info on this? Another thing that I am worried about is salary. My current Salary is in the 60-70k range, so would it be a bad investment?

Also, Dust, I saw that you go to UAMS...how do you like it? (pro's/con's). Do you know of anyone doing both the AuD/Phd?
 
I am currently working in Arkansas as an intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring technologist and I love the profession, but I want to further my education in order to advance within the feild. I have a BS in biology in 2009, and I have always wanted to get my doctorate. I have read about people who have gotten their AuD and/or PhD and working in IONM. Does anyone have any info on this? Another thing that I am worried about is salary. My current Salary is in the 60-70k range, so would it be a bad investment?

Also, Dust, I saw that you go to UAMS...how do you like it? (pro's/con's). Do you know of anyone doing both the AuD/Phd?
Sorry for the late response. The program at UAMS is actually a consortium with UALR and thus is not on the UAMS campus. Despite the shady area, the facilities are decent enough. Academically, your knowledge will be right up with there with the best if you learn what you are supposed to. Clinically, you will probably have to branch out a bit. The first year practicum is spent on campus, and there are just not many clients that come in. I can't really speak for audiologists who moved to intraoperative monitoring, although I have heard of some doing it happily. At one point, UAMS curriculum included two electrophysiology courses, but has since been condensed to one and replaced by another anatomy/physiology course. As for AuD/PhD students, I know of none, although there is one faculty who is duel certified. If you have more specific questions or want to know more, feel free to PM.

How did you end up coming across your IONM job if you don't mind me asking? Is there a lot of turnover?
 
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So glad I ran into this thread!!! I've actually been trying to find out more information in this subject. I would like to possibly find out if I could at least do a portion of the last part of my extership in this area. Does anyone know of any facilities in the SC/GA area? Are any of you AuDs doing now? What do you think of it? Is is worth going into?
 
Sorry for the late reply, I haven't checked this in a while....

I came across the IONM field by complete luck. I had family that was currently in the field and I decided to join in. There is a higher turnover than average, but overall it is a good field...
 
From what I've heard, neurology eventually wants to bring IOM back to themselves, or start their own structured graduate program. Even if this is so, it won't happen within the next 5 years. I do know someone a year ahead of me who's doing IOM and loving it. North Carolina Ear and Hearing has IOM, but the more popular ones are probably Impulse Monitoring.

If you are really set on furthering your education, you might consider UTD (AuD or MS in Neuroscience) and Bloomsburg. Like Audity said, Bloomsburg has the IOM specialty track. And UTD's IOM classes are taught by Dr. Moller, one of the pioneers of IOM--pretty sure his name alone on a rec letter can get you places. UTD also has a master program within the Neuroscience department which includes IOM classes, which are available as electives to AuD students. If you are already doing what you love and have no interest in audiology as a backup track, I'm afraid going back to school for the doctorate is just to get that Dr. title. Hope this helps. Good luck!
 
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