My plans to move to the other side of the country in the next several months have put a little shred of fear in my mind. I've been living on my own for quite some time and, like many, I've accumulated a LOT of stuff over the years. With my externship fast approaching, I've been able come up with some different--and profitable (yes, I said profitable)--ways to get rid of some of my things in order to try to get ready ...

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center are beginning a five-year study on the strength of a $1.9 million grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders that will compare the hearing of people with HIV/AIDS to people without HIV.

According to study lead Amneris Luque, MD, associate ...

Although the country is still in the midst of a major economic crunch, it's important not to overlook/undervalue the importance of quality office help. Yes, having that extra employee can be a financial strain on an audiology practice's bottom line, but I thought I'd share two articles from our recently released November/December ...

A very disturbing discussion was brought up at my clinical site this week. For all you AuDs specializing in hearing aids, listen up--you might want to hear this!

At the risk of starting some controversy, I feel compelled to bring up this subject. It was brought to my attention that there is a company whose main selling point is to give patients the equipment to program their own hearing aids. Yeah, I said ...

I just became aware of From Silence to Sound, a documentary that tells the story of the first recipient of a bilateral cochlear implant in Oklahoma. The film is slated to play at the New York International Film Festival on Friday, Oct. 23, 2009, and because of that, I received a press release.

It seems like an interesting film, so I thought I'd pass along some excerpts from the release:

"Director ...

Our third-year class had the unique opportunity to attend an all-day vestibular workshop on our campus. Of course, I was pumped about this! Vestib happens to be right up my alley.

The professor in charge of the event happened to know this little nugget of info, so he approached me to say that one of the main speakers was from my home state of South Carolina and he wanted to introduce us. I was excited and ...

Over the course of the last two weeks, I've blogged about some pretty political stuff, offering up lengthy opinion pieces on government volume control and acoustic warfare. This week, I thought I'd take a lighter approach and focus on something a bit less controversial and a bit more fun.

Because of this, I'm just going to keep this blog short and point out a cute little picture I came across when sifting ...

An announcement was made to our class this week, and it might change the start of my 3^rd-year externship. We were told that our comprehensive exams could be pushed back 2 months earlier, from May to March.  

How do I feel about this you may ask? I think it's GREAT! It changes everything!

OK; I know you may be confused by my reaction, so let me fill you in. In years past, comps ...

Is it OK for police forces to use acoustic warfare to disperse unruly crowds and political protestors?

That's the question I'm currently pondering, as I'm sure are many in the hearing industry (and, to be honest, the entire country) after the events that transpired in Pittsburgh last week.

For those who are unaware, a quick summary: Pittsburgh police used a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) to disperse ...

For those who are not sure what in the world a vestibular assessment is or what it's for, let me share. It is what audiologists use to evaluate dizzy patients. Of course, I could give you the half-a-page definition, but for the purposes of this blog, the short ...

Here in the U.S., a great deal of talk is swirling about government-regulated healthcare. Over in Europe, they've already got a universal healthcare option, so they're focusing on something else-regulating volume levels on MP3 players.

The European Union has asked Apple, makers of the iPod, and other manufacturers, to "display labels advising users of the damaging long-term effects of loud music on their hearing ...

This week, I thought I would bring up a part of school that is often overlooked--financial aid. If you haven't already, thank the folks in your financial aid office. And if they are anything like the people in the office at my school, invite them to Thanksgiving dinner!

Throughout my 2 years of audiology school, I have learned to go to them when I have issues because they have this unique ability to, as one ...

A bill has passed in the House of Representatives that, if approved, will reduce exposure to noise in classrooms and improve acoustics, according to a news brief posted by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

The bill (H.R. 3221) focuses primarily on student aid, but it also provides funding for school construction ...

This week, I finally got a chance to see my new site and meet my new preceptor. I'm very excited, because I have the opportunity to be working under an audiologist that works in an ENT practice. I know I will be getting my share of just what I've been longing for--weird stuff!

And the weirder, the better. As a student, I've been tapping into the brains of other audiologists about working with ENTs. Of course ...

As some of you may know, every  blog and article on the ADVANCE for Audiologists Web site allows readers to give feedback through comment sections. We launch a new top story on our Web site every two weeks as part of our Web update, and it's usually good for a few comments but, other than that, we typically get a spattering of comments here and there-maybe a few each week.

This isn't really disconcerting ...

Cheers to a short and sweet first week back! Last week, we were able to meet the first-year students for the first time. A new concept was used this year during the first grand rounds. We were asked to sit beside a first-year and, when it was our turn, introduce them and tell where they were from. I thought this was a pretty cool idea. They got to know us and, in return, we got to know them.

I just realized ...

Audiology has a long history with the U.S. Army and modern warfare. According to the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA), "Audiology was born out of the armed forces rehabilitation programs during and following World War II."¹

All these years later, audiology has grown into a full-fledged profession, and America is in the midst of another war. Unsurprisingly, hearing issues have arisen as a result ...

I know I'd better enjoy what break I have left now, because by the middle of November, I'm going to be on my knees begging for another break. As the beginning of my third year is drawing ever so close, I've been trying to narrow down what I want (and don't want) to do. ...

Peculiar People Day... Lost Sock Memorial Day... Smile Power Day... Winnie the Pooh Day.

If you didn't already know (don't feel bad if not; I didn't), these are all celebrated holidays. They obviously aren't in the same league as a Christmas or Thanksgiving, or heck, even Groundhog's Day or April Fool's Day, but they exist, because... well, I don't know really--I assume it has something to do with advancements ...

My mother use to always tell me that all you needed was faith the size of a mustard seed to get things accomplished. This is week is certainly testing my mother's theory. I'm still on the job hunt and coming up with absolutely nothing, and time is ticking until the next month.

They say the recession is starting to recover, but I'm not seeing it at all. I've been unemployed for a month now, and as long as ...

It's no secret that hearing loss is a major problem for musicians. The lifestyle of a musician--constant concerts, endless recording sessions, and so forth--puts significant stress on the ears, packing multiple lifetimes' worth of sound into small periods of time. Furthermore, hearing loss doesn't just affect musicians' personal lives; it can hinder the ability to play a musical instrument and thus curtail musicians' ...

The job hunt continues and, as of now, nothing solid yet. I applied as a traveling tutor but have no clients yet, so I have to continue pressing on for something else. To be honest, going to people's homes, riding around in 110-degree weather and running my car into the ground is slowly starting to seem unappealing, but at this point I need M-O-N-E-Y. Therefore, I must continue the fight.

This weekend was ...

Deaf411, a deaf marketing and public relations company, recently completed the "Deaf-Friendly Cities in the U.S." project, which lists 20 cities culled from four regions throughout the country. A full report of the results from the 15-month survey is available online at www.deaf411online.com.

Deaf411 launched the survey online in April 2008, and since then ...

I finally had the chance to redeem myself and retake my COMPS. Only this time, I had a lot more knowledge and a lot more confidence. I think I blew it out the water!

What a wonderful feeling to finally get that over with; now, I can move on. I'm still on the search for another job and still not coming up with much. They are not kidding when they say it's rough out there, even with a college degree.

I ...