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 also had some hearing loss. It is not uncommon for someone with a head cold or infection to ...

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 place yet to speak on this topic as a student, but I have a hard time believing that a movement ...

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 longer than most of the papers I write for class. I suppose this is my best attempt at ...

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 of practicum, which is solid for a third-year student. I was told that I would get more ...

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) issued a news release this week stressing the importance of consumers seeing a hearing health practitioner before purchasing hearing aids. Noting the increasing availability of options for purchasing hearing aids online, the state agency cautioned that hearing aids are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug ...

The Better Hearing Institute issued a news release this week warning consumers of the inherent risks associated with purchasing over-the-counter, one-size-fits-all hearing aids instead of consulting a hearing healthcare professional. BHI supports this claim by stating that hearing loss is sometimes a symptom of a serious underlying medical ...

Earlier this week we launched our newest specialty site, specifically focused on the products and services that help you to provide excellent patient care and operate a profitable practice. As one might expect, we're calling it the Hearing Practice Management Products & Services Resource Center. At the top of the Products & Services site ...

T-minus one month until my placement at the VA begins. In the meantime, I picked up the Clinical Handbook of Audiology (6th Edition) for supplementary learning and review. You don't realize how much information you have been over in the span of two years until you read back over some of it. I've also come across a few new concepts. (Inertial bone ...

Did you know that this week is National Health Center Week? According to the White House Office of the Press Secretary, President Obama issued a presidential proclamation recognizing August 7-13, 2011, as National Health Center Week. In it, he encourages ''all Americans to celebrate this week by visiting their local community health center, ...

Our top feature story this week profiles a hearing instrument specialist who gave away a free set of hearing aids to the winner of a ''Best Mom'' essay contest. This was a feel-good story for me on several levels. The first one is obvious: a person who needed hearing aids got them. Better yet, she got them for free. Better yet again, she got ...