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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

That's one more semester in the books, 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 to work, but only part-time. I begin my assistantship at the VA in October, and I intend to ...

Has it already been two weeks? The summer heat in Arkansas has come in full force, the to-do list is ever growing, and the AIM Hi camp was a huge success once again. There were many familiar faces this year, as many of the teenagers have been regular attendees for several years. The camp also added a new element by enrolling a younger group to ...

In the span of two weeks, I am already back in school for the summer semester. The course roster for this term includes Professional Issues, Clinical Lab and, of course, Clinical Practicum. For practicum, I was accepted back at the medical center. I did receive my final review from the med center for Spring 2011. The major improvement I have ...

I have been told in the past that attending Audiology NOW! is motivating to the point where it can spur you right out of burnout and back into overachiever mode, even in the dog days leading up to finals. Those sources were correct. The conference was everything I expected it to be in terms of learning, networking and entertainment. I made the ...

I remember being shocked when I learned that hearing aids are not covered by Medicare and most private insurers. I immediately thought of my parents and older relatives--particularly my Aunt Mitzie. It's a light-hearted family joke that you have to repeat everything three times, and each time at a higher volume, to get her attention. Her ...

My latest article profiles a couple, married 25 years, who decided to receive cochlear implants at the same time. It has been four months since their ''activation,'' and the progress they've made is truly remarkable. It has positively changed their lives in so many ways. Their names are Meg and Joe Duarte. Meg is a science teacher in the deaf ...