Online Aud?

[Jesse H]

Hello,

This may seem like a silly question...However, I'm finished with a Psychology degree. I'm currently working for the Department of Veterans Affairs and I'm good friends with the two Audiologist's at the clinic. After seeing them work, it's something I would like to pursue. However, it seems there are no more master degrees in Audiology which bridge into a Doctorate degree. I'm wondering if anyone is aware of a masters degree that could bridge into a AuD? Does anyone know if schools would consider accepting me into a 4 year AuD program but have me take a year of undergrad credits in order to get me caught up? Any ideas or help would be highly appreciated as I'm trying to figure out this process. Also, does anyone know of a masters degree I could try to achieve, and then take a bridge AuD program? Thank you.

Jesse

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[lstactionxero00]

Hi Jesse, from what I understand, the only master's program that could be used as bridge to completing an AuD would be a master's in Audiology. The point of the bridge program is to elevate your current credentials and expand your knowledge base in a field you have already been serving in.

You could potentially be accepted into a traditional Au.D. program and take a year of pre-reqs. Au.D. programs frequently accept students from other disciplines and backgrounds; however, you should just be aware that you won't qualify for a bridge program and you would need to complete approximately 4-5 years of school if you switch to this career path (some schools offer accelerated 3 year programs, instead of 4 years, but you would still need to complete your pre-reqs).

 

[Jesse H]

Thank you for your response. If only the Masters option was still available that would be terrific. I'm willing to be accepted into a 5 year program in order to accomplish this mission. Thank you again for your response.

Jesse

 

[TheEarDoc]

Hello,

This may seem like a silly question...However, I'm finished with a Psychology degree. I'm currently working for the Department of Veterans Affairs and I'm good friends with the two Audiologist's at the clinic. After seeing them work, it's something I would like to pursue. However, it seems there are no more master degrees in Audiology which bridge into a Doctorate degree. I'm wondering if anyone is aware of a masters degree that could bridge into a AuD? Does anyone know if schools would consider accepting me into a 4 year AuD program but have me take a year of undergrad credits in order to get me caught up? Any ideas or help would be highly appreciated as I'm trying to figure out this process. Also, does anyone know of a masters degree I could try to achieve, and then take a bridge AuD program? Thank you.

Jesse

The only program that is online still is AT Still and it's only for master's level audiologists to get their AuD.. There are no longer any master's level audiology programs.

As a VA audiologist I have to ask why do you want to leave Psychology? Most of you folks are GS13's, have the same schedule we have, make better money, and are treated far better by the VA than us lowly audiologists.

I see you are a master's level Psychologist. Why not get your PhD in Psychology?

Many programs exist that do not require any undergraduate courses in hearing speech or communication sciences. You could apply to one of them and then skip the year of pre-req classes.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

As a VA audiologist I have to ask why do you want to leave Psychology? Most of you folks are GS13's, have the same schedule we have, make better money, and are treated far better by the VA than us lowly audiologists.

I see you are a master's level Psychologist. Why not get your PhD in Psychology?

Just to clarify, this does not exist in the field. There are MA/MS degrees in psychology, though these are generally stepping stones to a doctoral program. There are still school psychologists with masters training, but the only "psychologists" in the VA system are clinical/counseling psychologist, which are doctorally trained. This level of training (plus fellowship or additional years of training/experience) are needed to qualify for a GS-13 clinical position.

ps. I agree with your comments in regard to a psychologist's schedule/pay/lifestyle in the VA…definitely a nice career option.

 

[TheEarDoc]

Just to clarify, this does not exist in the field. There are MA/MS degrees in psychology, though these are generally stepping stones to a doctoral program. There are still school psychologists with masters training, but the only "psychologists" in the VA system are clinical/counseling psychologist, which are doctorally trained. This level of training (plus fellowship or additional years of training/experience) are needed to qualify for a GS-13 clinical position.

Yes I am aware of why they are GS13 staff. That's why I was asking the poster for clarification because they made it sound as if they were a psychologist in the VA with a master's which is a rare breed as (correct me if I am wrong) the VA only hires PhD psychologists and do not even hire PsyD psychologists?

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

As for VAs hiring Ph.D. v. Psy.D….in most cases no. I know of a handful of VAs that strongly prefer Ph.Ds (old school VAs in the midwest and a couple of east/west coast VAs with strong affiliations w. research institutions), though the system seems pretty open to either degree. At the end of the day the licensure is the same at the doctoral level, so it is a non-factor. The VA actually allows licensure in any state for a psychologist, which is nice.

 

[TheEarDoc]

As for VAs hiring Ph.D. v. Psy.D….in most cases no. I know of a handful of VAs that strongly prefer Ph.Ds (old school VAs in the midwest and a couple of east/west coast VAs with strong affiliations w. research institutions), though the system seems pretty open to either degree. At the end of the day the licensure is the same at the doctoral level, so it is a non-factor. The VA actually allows licensure in any state for a psychologist, which is nice.

Yeah it works the same for Audiology. PhD or AuD as long as you are licensed you are good to go.

Most of us are GS12's though because of how the VA does credentialing. So even though we have an undergraduate degree and a 4 year clinical program, because we do not have a separate rotation after our degree we are not started at GS13 level. There are GS13 and GS14 audiologists in the VA, but most are GS12's. Speech pathologists though have an easier ability to become GS13's because they have their degree before they do their CFY so under the VA system they are easily promoted to GS13.

The whole GS rating systems annoys me. I have a buddy who works in logistics. He was in the Army for 6 years and has a bachelor's degree. He works for the DOD and is a GS13. I have a doctorate, two bachelor's degrees, and years of experience and I am not a GS13. Baffling haha.

I am glad I never went to grad school for Psychology. I couldn't tolerate all the malingering for PTSD in the VA. It would drive me nuts!

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

The whole GS rating systems annoys me. I have a buddy who works in logistics. He was in the Army for 6 years and has a bachelor's degree. He works for the DOD and is a GS13. I have a doctorate, two bachelor's degrees, and years of experience and I am not a GS13. Baffling haha.

The GS system doesn't make a lot of sense, but I doubt that will ever change. As a neuropsychologist I come out of fellowship as a GS-13, but upward mobility is nill unless I become an administrator. I've seen the best combo being a dual appointment academic with a VA…so you can negotiate outside compensation for the other part of the job. I view a career in the VA as primarily a lifestyle decision, which isn't all bad…as I'm at work right now and I'm not the only one working on a weekend. Academic medicine fun!

I am glad I never went to grad school for Psychology. I couldn't tolerate all the malingering for PTSD in the VA. It would drive me nuts!

It's a tough situation because the system incentivizes the Veterans to stay sick to keep/attain their service connection rating. I spent a year of training in the VA system and overall it was a great experience, but the % of straight up malingering wore on me. The vast majority of Veterans deserve everything they receive and often more, but the outliers are the ones that tended to come across my path because I did mostly assessment work…so TBI and/or PTSD C&Ps were the most frequent referrals.

 

[TheEarDoc]

The GS system doesn't make a lot of sense, but I doubt that will ever change. As a neuropsychologist I come out of fellowship as a GS-13, but upward mobility is nill unless I become an administrator. I've seen the best combo being a dual appointment academic with a VA…so you can negotiate outside compensation for the other part of the job. I view a career in the VA as primarily a lifestyle decision, which isn't all bad…as I'm at work right now and I'm not the only one working on a weekend. Academic medicine fun!



It's a tough situation because the system incentivizes the Veterans to stay sick to keep/attain their service connection rating. I spent a year of training in the VA system and overall it was a great experience, but the % of straight up malingering wore on me. The vast majority of Veterans deserve everything they receive and often more, but the outliers are the ones that tended to come across my path because I did mostly assessment work…so TBI and/or PTSD C&Ps were the most frequent referrals.

You and I could party. I do work at a university hospital and I also do contract work at another VA. So I am doing great financially and I love the VA. The malingering does drive me insane some days. Tinnitus, hearing loss, and PTSD seem to be the most common so I truly feel your pain! GS13 is usually the highest you can climb in my position (that's with doing some administrator work). Hoping to eventually pick up a chief job somewhere, but stay mostly clinical which would give me a GS13 paycheck and if I can get the local I want then I would be in a higher cost of living payrate, but living in an area where the cost of living is not high.

 

[SLPvsAUD]

Hi Jesse,
The University of Florida has an online Post-Baccalaureate program that offers pre-requisite courses that are needed for graduate-level study in audiology or speech-language pathology. Here is the link: http://slhs.phhp.ufl.edu/academics/dl/post-bac/postbaccalaureate-application/