Externship Update

I am loving my externship!  I the hospital, I love the Audiologists, I love the work atmosphere, I love the many awesome friends I've made through working ("working") here, and I love this city!!!!!!

The first month and a half of my externship was spent doing hearing evaluations and working with hearing aids for the most part.  The great thing about learning at this clinic is that we see a large variety of patients.  About one half day each week I found myself working with developmentally delayed patients who can be very difficult to test.  We also see a lot of interesting ear disorders that you wouldn't typically see at a smaller clinic as well as asymmetrical hearing losses.  Although I will have rotations in the different specialty areas of audiology throughout the year, I will continue to do hearing tests and hearing aid clinic part time the entire time I'm here in order to keep my foot in the door of some of the basics in audiology. 

About a month ago, I started my first rotation.... the vestibular (balance) rotation!  I was so excited to start this rotation because vestibular is the area of audiology that I think I want to do more with when I graduate.  I was also nervous though because I have not had much experience with vestibular testing before coming here.  Another bonus to this externship placement, is that they know that vestibular is an interest of mine, so they put me in it first and mentioned they will probably keep me doing at least one half day of vestibular testing each week for the rest of my time here so I don't "lose" anything I'm l learn during the rotation.  The last month or two of my externship I may be placed in it again to get me the most of what I want to do in audiology right before leaving.  The best news so far..... I am getting some very positive feedback on my performance so far in this rotation!!!!!  In the first week I was told I exceeded their expectations.  Now they are getting picky with the things they want me to work on and are merely "fine tuning" my testing and interpretation skills for VEMPs (Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials) and VNGs (Videonystagmography).  I have only done the rotary chair test once and posturography once, so those skills still have a ways to go.  I also work in the BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo) clinic every Tuesday morning with one of the neurotologists.  I love this clinic.  If we suspect a patient has BPPV we schedule them for BPPV clinic instead of doing the full VNG evaluation.  If they are positive for BPPV then the neurotologist (with my assistance) does the modified Epley maneuver to get rid of the dizziness right away.  It is so much fun to "cure" the dizziness because this is the only type of dizziness we can cure! 

This past weekend I also helped out at the Hearing Health Fair put on by Cochlear.  I helped with the hearing screenings for a few hours, and then joined the UCH booth for a few more hours before going home.  Not the best way to spend my Saturday, but... I guess I'm already volunteering 5 days a week, why not throw in the occasional Saturday too! 

My most interesting/memorable patients so far: 
*A developmentally delayed patient who very much looks and acts like a developmentally delayed version of a guy I know in Wisconsin.  I haven't told this person I met the DD version of himself... he may not like it. 
*A patient without a middle or inner ear!  No eardrum or anything.  It looked like a long curvy tube that never ended. 
*A patient with the outer ear closed off.  Imagine the ear canal pinched off about half way in, before reaching the eardrum. 
*Fitting a "VIP" couple with a set of hearing aids each. 
*Trying to sell a set of hearing aids to a 14 year old girl who has never worn them before.  Once she saw them, she instantly decided she could hear "fine" and doesn't need any help.  Time to bring out the big guns because this girl's education would have suffered had she not gotten hearing aids. 

I'm sure there are some more interesting high points and interesting patients, but I can't think of any more right now. 

Coming up at the end of the month is the Colorado Academy of Audiology in Breckenridge!  Can't wait!