What do you learn in med school about hearing loss?

[abrens02]

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Hope you all don't mind the intrusion. I'm an audiology student wondering about what the curriculum in med school covers about hearing loss. It's been thrown around a bit in my program that later on when we are practicing, we apparently might end up teaching ENT residents about the nitty gritty for things like acoustic reflex testing, tympanometry, different ways of masking to determine conductive vs sensorineural hearing loss, etc. I think it's crazy that an audiologist would ever need to explain something to an MD. Am I attending a really ego-inflated program that assumes ENT's don't know this stuff? What do you go over in med school about those things?

 

[Ismet]

I believe we had 2 lectures in our neuro block about hearing and hearing loss. Then in 3rd year we did a week of ENT clinic and surgery and I'm sure had some lectures about that. I know for sure we went for a session with an audiologist and they went over the different kinds of hearing loss and we toured their clinic with a soundproof room. Honestly not much. Hadn't done a tympanogram until residency. I'd definitely be up for another session with an audiologist.

Doctors refer patients to audiologists all the time. Just because you don't have an M.D. behind your name doesn't mean we can't learn a lot from you.

 

[Wordead]

Hope you all don't mind the intrusion. I'm an audiology student wondering about what the curriculum in med school covers about hearing loss. It's been thrown around a bit in my program that later on when we are practicing, we apparently might end up teaching ENT residents about the nitty gritty for things like acoustic reflex testing, tympanometry, different ways of masking to determine conductive vs sensorineural hearing loss, etc. I think it's crazy that an audiologist would ever need to explain something to an MD. Am I attending a really ego-inflated program that assumes ENT's don't know this stuff? What do you go over in med school about those things?

It's very superificial stuff in medical school. I'm an ENT resident and there is still a lot I have learned and still need to learn from Audiologists. Probably not conductive vs SNHL; I think any resident and even most medical students should have a reasonable understanding of that. And even an ENT intern should know how to interpret audiograms/tympanograms. But we don't generally SEE anyone get audiologic testing) so there are certainly details we miss out on.

 

[WedgeDawg]

We learned about conductive vs. neural hearing loss, how each is wont to occur / etiology, how to test for them on physical exam, and what treatments are for each (i.e. hearing aid vs cochlear implant).

 

[sazerac]

I learned how to spell presbycusis for Step 2 CS.

 

[operaman]

I think education on HL in Med school is fairly basic - CHL vs SNHL, weber/rinne, etc. nothing on audio grams, tymps, ABRs, DPOE, etc. (and let's not even start in on vestibular testing!)

Even as an ENT resident I learn a ton from our audiologists and take every chance I have to pick their brains. Even if we know how to read and interpret the studies, most if not all of us have never actually performed them. They are yet another "black box" in medicine where we order something without actually intimately knowing what happens between our referral order and the report we are given, so please feel free to teach and share with us whenever you can. I promise it's much appreciated.

 

[aalamruad]

I'll just piggyback off this question instead of creating my own thread: how much do you learn about ophtho in med school?

 

[VisionaryTics]

I'll just piggyback off this question instead of creating my own thread: how much do you learn about ophtho in med school?

Barely anything. I did a week of ophtho as an M4, and I think I was assigned to neuro-ophthalmology clinic. So I learned to look at visual field testing (which is actually useful in ENT).

But I never really learned about ocular emergencies beyond the stuff you learn for the steps like acute glaucoma and CRAO. No practical experience with any of those things. Never saw any ophtho operations. Can't use an ophthalmoscope to save my life.

 

[Ismet]

I'll just piggyback off this question instead of creating my own thread: how much do you learn about ophtho in med school?

We did a week of ophtho in 3rd year. Mostly clinic but I did a half day in the OR and saw 2 cataract surgeries and a corneal transplant. Learned how to use the slit lamp, which is actually quite useful as I've used it a few times in the ED. Still fail with ophthalmoscope.