VA externships well-rounded?
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DC VA takes externs and many people from Gallaudet have gone there, although I haven't actually talked to them about how it is.
a classmate did an internship at the Manhattan VA and she LOVED it.
i think Walter Reed is actually closed and merged with the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. you have to join the army to extern there now although in years past it wasn't always the case.
a classmate did an internship at the Manhattan VA and she LOVED it.
i think Walter Reed is actually closed and merged with the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. you have to join the army to extern there now although in years past it wasn't always the case.
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Walter Reed has closed and merged. If you are interested in that population though....you might want to investigate Navy or Air Force audiology and the externships that they provide.
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I will say this though....following the externship Army audiologists are primarily conservation audiologists, they hire non-army audiologists to do most of the traditional diagnostics and hearing aids.
The Air Force does have an externship...they just dont advertise it. You have to go visit a health professions recruiter to talk about it.
As for the VA, I really liked my experience working with them. I do think it is lacking in a few areas--1-CI's depending on the VA, 2-Peds (obviously), 3-hearing aid sales. I know it isnt that big of a deal if you plan on working with them for a while but with the VA, you dont sell HAs, you give them away essentially, so you are missing a crucial element in learning how to dispense hearing aids and the consultation process because you dont have that price barrier to overcome which, at least for me, is something I need to actually learn how to do.
Hey quiteaud,
To give you a little background, I graduated in May (woot!) and I did my externship at a VA down south. I chose to work at the VA because I knew that it would allow me to get my hands on a lot of hearing aids and see a lot of patients. I knew that I was going to be moving into private practice eventually, and the sheer volume of veterans going through the VA made it a great opportunity for learning to work with a wide array of technologies (going into it I felt like I knew nothing about hearing aids from a practical standpoint). As AUDball said, you're basically giving hearing aids out like candy. I got to work with all of the major brands and see first hand how they perform. Since you're not worried about the patient making a monetary investment (just a time investment), you are a little more free to try different technologies.
Of course, your experience will vary depending on the site and I know nothing of the facilities in the areas in which you are looking. My facility had ENG/VNG capabilities as well as a rotary chair (didn't really get to use it though). We also had posturography available, but didn't get to use it much either.
Of course, there are negatives as others have mentioned, but you'll see negatives anywhere you go. It really comes down to what you want to do with your career (VA, private practice, industrial, ENTs, etc). The VA is a good stable government job. It has nice benefits and steady pay. But it's not for everyone. (it's a government job 🙂)
Being that you're a second year, you have a little bit of time yet to get your feet on the ground and develop your interests through your clinical rotations. It's never too early to look for externships, but I'd say you have a good solid year before you have to really start focusing on it.
I would recommend that as you go through your rotations, consider where you want to be in 2, 3, 5, 10 years -- financially and professionally. That can help direct your next moves.
Good luck!
-DH
To give you a little background, I graduated in May (woot!) and I did my externship at a VA down south. I chose to work at the VA because I knew that it would allow me to get my hands on a lot of hearing aids and see a lot of patients. I knew that I was going to be moving into private practice eventually, and the sheer volume of veterans going through the VA made it a great opportunity for learning to work with a wide array of technologies (going into it I felt like I knew nothing about hearing aids from a practical standpoint). As AUDball said, you're basically giving hearing aids out like candy. I got to work with all of the major brands and see first hand how they perform. Since you're not worried about the patient making a monetary investment (just a time investment), you are a little more free to try different technologies.
Of course, your experience will vary depending on the site and I know nothing of the facilities in the areas in which you are looking. My facility had ENG/VNG capabilities as well as a rotary chair (didn't really get to use it though). We also had posturography available, but didn't get to use it much either.
Of course, there are negatives as others have mentioned, but you'll see negatives anywhere you go. It really comes down to what you want to do with your career (VA, private practice, industrial, ENTs, etc). The VA is a good stable government job. It has nice benefits and steady pay. But it's not for everyone. (it's a government job 🙂)
Being that you're a second year, you have a little bit of time yet to get your feet on the ground and develop your interests through your clinical rotations. It's never too early to look for externships, but I'd say you have a good solid year before you have to really start focusing on it.
I would recommend that as you go through your rotations, consider where you want to be in 2, 3, 5, 10 years -- financially and professionally. That can help direct your next moves.
Good luck!
-DH
Congratulations!!!
It's nice having you back, Drum Head! Hope all is going well!
Thanks SoCalAud! It's good to be finally working! 🙂
quiteaud: you're welcome!
