Hearing aids (rotation student)

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NJ2019

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Hi guys!
I really need help in finding the best hearing aids out there for medical school students. My boyfriend is in his third year, doing rotations at a hospital. He's having trouble listening to the conversation during rounds and he feels like he's missing out on a lot of the info. We're willing to even spend 10-15K for the hearing aids, but just don't know which one will ignore the "white noise" and allow him to focus on the person talking. Also, I feel like he will have trouble in surgery rotations when he can't read people's lips when they talk (because of the mask).
Any help is greatly appreciated!
Thank you!

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He really needs to formally evaluated which is something that can't be done online. Generally this means seeing an ent and an audiologist. Depending on the exact nature of his hearing loss, there are multiple options which he may find helpful. If hearing aids are indicated, there are also laws which say you are allowed to return a hearing aid within 30 days for a full refund, so if that's what he ends up doing, he could try them out and see if it actually helps.

But please start with a real medical evaluation. Hearing loss in someone so young is not the norm and he needs to be seen.
 
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I second seeing an ENT and an audiologist. They will be able to hook y'all up with something nice. I'm wearing ReSound Lynx2 hearing aids right now and have been pleased with them. They set me back $6,500 but they should be good for six or seven years. I used to wear Phonak's, but you can't go wrong with either. Consider flexing on aids that can communicate with a wireless receiver and phone (mine can pair with 6 bluetooth devices). That way you can consider using a digital stethoscope (I have the Thinklabs One).

The hardest part in adjusting is learning how to tune out some of the white noise. Even the best programs out there are not perfect, and some of it will leak through. That's why an audiologist is key. They can modify the frequency profile that the aids will amplify.
 
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Thank you for the help guys! I'll definitely pass on the info to him. He has had the problem since birth and has been wearing hearing aids for over 12 years now. But now that he's actually in the hospital, he's facing all these problems. I am sure there's way better hearing aids available in the market but because rotations are usually 12 weeks, he doesn't really get that much time to try out and go back & forth with the audiologist.
 
Have him reach out to the Association for Medical Professionals with Hearing Loss for advice and recommendations! We have a group he could find on Facebook where members share advice on a variety of topics.

With regards to the hearing aids, do make sure he goes for the more expensive (digital) ones since hearing aids are well worth the investment. I've been looking at the Oticon Opn's myself and have heard many great things about them.
Thank you for the help guys! I'll definitely pass on the info to him. He has had the problem since birth and has been wearing hearing aids for over 12 years now. But now that he's actually in the hospital, he's facing all these problems. I am sure there's way better hearing aids available in the market but because rotations are usually 12 weeks, he doesn't really get that much time to try out and go back & forth with the audiologist.
 
Have him reach out to the Association for Medical Professionals with Hearing Loss for advice and recommendations! We have a group he could find on Facebook where members share advice on a variety of topics.

With regards to the hearing aids, do make sure he goes for the more expensive (digital) ones since hearing aids are well worth the investment. I've been looking at the Oticon Opn's myself and have heard many great things about them.
I didn't know that existed! thank you so much! He did meet up with a new audiologist this week and he's going to be trying out starkey's.
 
I am also a hearing aid user. It is important that, in addition to optimizing his hearing aids, he consider working with his school's office of disability services to put into place accommodations that could help his communication. In particular, ORs can present unique challenges. He might be interested in the new clear masks that were just approved by the FDA- it might be a hard sell for the surgeons but if it is the way he can participate without requiring expensive real time captioning then they might be willing to give it a try.
 
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I just want to commend you, NJ2019, for being so supportive of your boyfriend. Lucky guy!
 
It is important that, in addition to optimizing his hearing aids, he consider working with his school's office of disability services to put into place accommodations that could help his communication.

I second this. Working with the disabilities office can get him a TON of help throughout his rotations, particularly in the OR. There are options for visual aids during surgeries. There is a five-minute video from Mass Gen that includes info about Amanda Mooneyham, who is profoundly deaf, and some of the ways she was successfully accommodated.

Best of luck to your boyfriend. Having a disability in medical school is tough, but we are (hopefully) paving the way so future students with disabilities can have an easier time being doctors!
 
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