Where are you placed this year?

UCLA Health 

Describe your "typical" day (or lack of "typical" day)

What I love about my externship is that there is no “typical” day! I see patients of all ages - from birth to 100+ years old - performing diagnostic testing and hearing aid consultations, fittings, and checks. Additionally, I see cochlear implant evaluations, activations, and follow-ups for both pediatrics and adults. I also join our inpatient audiology team, which is where I get sedated ABR experience in the OR, as well as work on an interdisciplinary team for UCLA’s Craniofacial Clinic and ENT clinic.

What's something important that you've learned at your placement so far?

It is so important to advocate for yourself and your needs as a future clinician! I’ve learned how to ask for more autonomy in appointments I feel comfortable leading or asking for guidance prior to and during appointments to ensure I am not only providing the best care, but learning the most as an extern. This can apply to clinic in each year of the AuD program!  

Any words of wisdom?

Ask questions! Do not be afraid to make mistakes! Use your clinical rotations as a place to not only apply what you’ve learned in class but learn by DOING! I’ve learned so much by picking my preceptors’ brains about their reasoning behind decisions throughout each rotation - including my externship. This is the time to do that!!

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Where are you placed this year?

I am completing my externship at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Describe your "typical" day (or lack of "typical" day)

There is rarely a typical week! I perform comprehensive audiologic evaluations for children ages 0-21 years of all abilities both in the outpatient setting and in-patient while admitted at CHLA, sedated auditory brainstem response (ABR) evaluations (both in our sedation suite and in the operating room combined with ENT) and natural sleep ABRs. I perform bone conduction and conventional hearing aid consultations and checks using verification and make appropriate recommendations to local cochlear implant centers when necessary. I have also gained experience working as a part of multidisciplinary teams with the CHLA Craniofacial team and Hematology/Oncology. I am also a part of CA-LEND and am currently working on a project creating a comprehensive guidebook for families in Los Angeles County to increase knowledge of the 1-3-6 roadmap for newly diagnosed hearing loss and available local resources!

What's something important that you've learned at your placement so far?

Hearing healthcare disparities exist and it is so important to meet families where they are! Being in Los Angeles, I see a diverse patient population. Some of my patients experience barriers to accessing care (transportation, language barriers, cost, etc.) and it has taught me the importance of patient/family centered care and the need for close follow-up and information on how to access local resources.

Any words of wisdom?

Always be willing to jump in and do things that might scare you! Be willing to make mistakes and learn from them!

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Where are you placed this year?

I am at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Colorado Springs

Describe your "typical" day (or lack of "typical" day)

My schedule is broken into half days. Mondays were my assistant day and I was paid for these hours. In the morning I was responsible for test assisting, ordering/checking in devices, completing in office repairs, and anything else to support the audiologists. Monday afternoons I was in the NICU completing newborn hearing screenings. I’m currently taking a break from my assistant hours but I’m hoping to start them up again soon. Tuesdays I spend the morning seeing private patients for evaluations, HA/CI evals, and device consults. In the afternoon I cover ENT clinic and see any patients who need tymps or audios. Wednesday mornings I’m back in ENT clinic. Wednesday afternoons is my natural sleep ABR slot. I see one patient and sometimes a quick earmold or device check after the ABR. Thursdays I’m seeing new patients or HA/CI/BCHD consults and evals all day. Fridays are my half day. Friday mornings I see more private patients. In the new year my schedule will be changing and I’ll begin either my CI or vestibular intensive schedule.

What's something important that you've learned at your placement so far?

  It is going to be ok and you can do it :) so many people are here to support you, take advantage of that!!

Any words of wisdom?

You’re a student and no one expects you to know everything! Just try your best and your preceptors will step in even if you say the completely wrong thing. Also ask questions! This is the time where you have professionals by your side who want to support you and help you learn.

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Where are you placed this year?

I am currently completing my 4th year externship at Rocky Mountain Ear Center and Cochlear Americas. My typical week varies pretty extensively!

Describe your "typical" day (or lack of "typical" day)

At Cochlear I am currently working with the clinical team and on the research and development team. Right now, most of my time is dedicated to seeing subjects for an investigational device! My day to day also varies quite a bit at RMEC. I see balance, cochlear implant, bone conduction and hearing aid patients- which means completing a variety of assessments! I also see quite a bit of surgical ears, which I find very fascinating!

What's something important that you've learned at your placement so far?

So far, one of the most important things I have learned is to ask for opportunities! I have gotten all the opportunities I have asked for, but I wouldn't have gotten them unless I reached out- which has led to such an amazing experience! Another thing I have learned is to never say 'no' to a learning opportunity. Even if you don't do your best, you have nothing to lose! You are a student just trying something new, and trust me, people will recognize the courage it takes to be willing to try something out of your comfort zone.

Any words of wisdom?

Give yourself grace during your externship and be honest when you don't know something! You gain a lot of independence during this year but it doesn't come right away and it takes time!

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Where are you placed this year?

I am currently at Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in Aurora, CO

Describe your "typical" day (or lack of "typical" day)

I work with Vets Monday through Friday every week. Most days of the week I am providing
hearing tests, hearing aid fittings/checks, or tinnitus appointments/group sessions (gaining lots of
cerumen removal experience too!). Right now I am also doing vestibular testing each week which
is interesting. Before my vestib rotation, I was in a telehealth rotation for the first part of the
summer. After vestib, I will begin my CI rotation. I am grateful to be getting experience in all of the
things that interest me!

What's something important that you've learned at your placement so far?

Taking a moment to reassess/evaluate the "big picture" is okay! As a student, I'm not expected to
know all the answers, so providing the best care to a patient then and there is my priority.

Any words of wisdom?

Be flexible when you are at your externship! Things do not always go according to schedule, and
it's good to be able to just go with the flow when things are out of your control.

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Where are you placed this year?

I am currently placed at Denver Health

Describe your "typical" day (or lack of "typical" day)

I work five days a week, and each day is split into half days. So one day I could be seeing infants and
pediatrics in the morning for diagnostics, and adult hearing aids in the afternoon. During any given week, I typically see a mix of diagnostic audios for peds and adults, adult hearing aid fitting appointments and follow up appointments, ENT clinic, and VNG appointments. Some
weeks I am in the OR completing sedated ABRs or intraoperative monitoring.

What's something important that you've learned at your placement so far?

Denver Health works with a lot of patients from different cultural backgrounds who speak languages other than English. I have learned very quickly to feel comfortable using interpreters almost daily, and conveying information efficiently and in a way that doesn't use a lot of
audiology jargon. The practice of using interpreters and working with different cultures has been great and really makes you think outside of the box on how to explain results in a way that would make sense.

Any words of wisdom? 

You are still a student during your fourth year, take advantage of it! You are not expected to know all of the things. Be open to doing things differently than how you were taught the past few years, whether that be the flow of appointments, or testing protocols. I think this is especially true if you are working on a big team of audiologists - so many different brains to pick about all things audiology and all with different backgrounds (educational, private practice, medical, etc). A lot of preceptors encourage you to try out different things, keep what you like, and not what you don't like! And lastly, your fourth year is only one year, choose a placement that fits your needs and what you are interested in learning more about while you are still a student!

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