Audiology Student Blog : hearing loss

Breaking Chains of Isolation

Dusty Richards — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 13:32:00 GMT

I came across a disturbing story today about a deaf woman in Tacoma, WA, who was tased inside her home and arrested. It was reported she made a 911 emergency call in distress. The operator told her to wait outside of the apartment for officers to arrive....(read more)

When Patients Lash Out

Dusty Richards — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:43:00 GMT

Throughout my first year in graduate school, we students were reminded of the delicacy of hearing loss. In particular, how patients may respond negatively and seemingly irrational to the bad news. Many times, the negative response is not confined to a...(read more)

Social Gerontology

Dusty Richards — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:30:00 GMT

Two more weeks until I begin my externship. I have managed to stay busy through the break. I still have one academic course before course work is officially through. It's an online elective in Social Gerontology. Admittedly, I wasn't amped to take an...(read more)

Ready for a New Beginning

Dusty Richards — Fri, 04 May 2012 11:00:00 GMT

I'm becoming more excited by the day to begin my fourth year. Not only the opportunity for full immersion into practicing audiology and, but also for the next set of endeavors I will have time to focus on. I really like the concept that each individual...(read more)

Instant Healing

Dusty Richards — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:00:00 GMT

Either I was half asleep, or I witnessed what it was like to have Eustachian tube dysfunction heal in seemingly an instant. Upon getting out of the shower on Tuesday, I felt the pressure equalize. My hearing has returned, and all feelings of fullness...(read more)

A Demanding and Stressful Semester

Dusty Richards — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:30:00 GMT

It has been over two weeks since the onset of my sinus infection and still no sign of improvement. In fact, my thresholds have worsened, showing a unilateral mild-moderate conductive hearing loss in my right ear. Tympanometry yielded similar results from...(read more)

Bronchitis, Then Some Hearing Loss

Dusty Richards — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:30:00 GMT

As I mentioned in my prior entry , I have been dealing with a sinus infection for the past few weeks. I finally caved and saw a physician, who gave the diagnosis of bronchitis. Not a big deal, just a complete nuisance. In the context of this blog, I have...(read more)

Back from the Show

Dusty Richards — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:54:00 GMT

I am back home safe and sound from a great experience at AudiologyNOW! 2012 in Boston. I am in the processing of finishing a more detailed write-up on my experiences at the conference, though admittedly I have put more focus on an onslaught of school-related...(read more)

Bar Hopping in the Name of Audiology

Dusty Richards — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:15:00 GMT

Spring Break has come and gone, and now I'm preparing for both the AudiologyNOW! conference in Boston, MA, as well as the home stretch of the semester. What did I do during my break? I will confess that I slept eight hours nearly every night. Most every...(read more)

Buying Hearing Aids Online

Dusty Richards — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:25:00 GMT

It's official. I have a high-frequency hearing loss. According to an online hearing test, that is. My highest threshold to date measured in the sound booth is a whopping 5 dB, which certainly indicates normal hearing sensitivity. Perhaps it is not my...(read more)

Coming Down the Home Stretch

Dusty Richards — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 18:56:00 GMT

We are headed into what I like to refer to as the home stretch of the semester. Accordingly, I always create a Word document around this time frame called Home Stretch , which includes an all-encompassing to-do schedule. More often that not, it ends up...(read more)

Becoming a Better Advocate

Dusty Richards — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:03:00 GMT

I have officially started my new practicum placement at the VA hospital in North Little Rock. This placement also doubles as my assistantship, allowing for hourly pay and, more importantly, more practicum hours. In any given week, I may log 16-20 hours...(read more)

Don't Lose Your Head

Rich Magda — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:04:00 GMT

Early last week, I spent some time in the student room working on my directed research project and caught the tail end of a conversation some of the first-year students were having. A few made disparaging remarks regarding their stress level and each...(read more)

Thinking About 'Brain Rejuvenation'

Dusty Richards — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:08:00 GMT

T-minus one month until my placement at the VA begins. In the meantime, I picked up the Clinical Handbook of Audiology (6 th Edition) for supplementary learning and review. You don't realize how much information you have been over in the span of two years...(read more)

Another Semester in the Books

Dusty Richards — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:28:00 GMT

That's one more semester in the boo ks, and I am officially a third-year student. Now I have one month off. Normally I would use the downtime to work as much as possible and play catch-up financially. So what are my plans for this break? I'm still going...(read more)