On TOKTW I was given the opportunity to work alongside my mother Grace, a Registered Audiologist, at the head office of the Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (WIDHH). She is the Head of Audiology Services.

Outline of the Day

Some of the information I was working with was confidential, therefore I needed to sign a confidentiality agreement before starting.When I first arrived to the workplace, I was given a tour of the building. I was able to see the different machines, called audiometers, that are used to test hearing. I also met many of my mom’s coworkers and what they do. On my tour I was shown many different rooms and departments. Later, I was able to observe a session with a client. I have already had a hearing test before but this time, I was able to see how an Audiologist tests a person’s hearing. After my observations, I also helped in the administrative areas of the job. I helped my mom update her price lists and I helped the staff at the front desk with their filing. I had a very enjoyable day. Everyone was very helpful and friendly and the experience gave me a new perspective of what goes on in the workplace.

The Interview

1. What is your job title?

Head of Audiology Services

2. What is your job description?

Grace manages the Audiology department across three locations. She provides clinical services for the deaf and hard of hearing community.

3. What are the duties and/or task you perform at your job?

She conducts hearing assessments, hearing aid evaluations and fittings. She counsels clients on speech reading and coping strategies. Grace also provides public presentations and community education. As a Clinical Assistant Professor for the UBC School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, Grace also provides clinical training for future Audiologists. Grace is also the administrative head for the department.

4. What qualifications do you have for this job in:

a) training and education :

– Master of Science Degree in Audiology from U.B.C.

– Nationally certified by the Speech-Language and Audiology Association of Canada

– Registered with the College of Speech and Hearing Health Professionals of B.C.

b) experience:

– Over 20 years of experience as an Audiologist.

c) skills and attributes (personal qualities):

– Good communication skills (verbal and written)

– Patience

– Empathy

– Ability to work well in teams and individually

– Initiative

– Creativity

– Detail oriented

– Strong academic and critical thinking skills

– Interest in working with the public, particularly seniors

5. What are some of the things you like about the job?

Grace enjoys having the opportunity to interact with different clients and hear their stories. She likes working with them to help them find strategies and solutions to manage their hearing loss. Grace enjoys working in a team environment and learning from one another. She also enjoys the academic challenges. As Audiology is a helping and caring profession, Grace finds it a very rewarding career.

6. What are some of the things you dislike about the job?

Occasionally there are long hours. This job requires a lot of attention and patience, which can be emotionally tiring. Some clinical cases can be complex and challenging but it’s rewarding when you can make a difference for someone with hearing loss.

7. How do you anticipate this job changing in the next 5 years or so?

With the population aging, there is likely to be an increase in the need for Audiologists. In the senior population, more than 50% of that group has some degree of hearing loss. The most common cause of hearing loss is associated with aging.

8. How would i know if I had hearing loss?

Symptoms:

-People seem to be mumbling all the time.

– You frequently ask people to repeat themselves

– You have trouble hearing in background noise

– Difficulty hearing the T.V. or people over the phone

– Loud sounds are annoying or intolerable

9. What should you  do if you think you have hearing loss?

You should book an appointment to get a hearing test with an Audiologist. A hearing test helps determine how soft you can hear sounds and how clear you can hear speech.

 10. Does hearing loss automatically mean a hearing aid?

No, not all cases of hearing loss require a hearing aid. If hearing loss is very mild, communication strategies are often recommended, e.g. how to adjust your environment so you can hear better, how to tell people to speak more clearly. When hearing loss is more significant, then a hearing aid will be prescribed. Hearing aids are used to amplify sounds. It is a prescriptive device that is tuned to work specifically for your hearing loss the same way glasses are prescribed for loss of vision.

11. What are some causes of hearing loss?

– Genetic factors

– Illnesses (Eg. Meningitis)

– Ear infections

– Noise exposure

– The most common cause is related to aging

12. With the greater use of headphones and earbuds, how will this affect hearing?

Hearing loss can be caused by exposure to very loud sounds such as noise or music. It can occur if the exposure is long and intense. Listening through earbuds or headphones at a very high volume for even fifteen minutes can cause hearing loss. The louder the sound, the less time required to cause damage.

13. How can we reduce the risk of hearing loss when using headphones or earbuds?

Avoid setting the volume on an iPhone, iPod, etc. at more than sixty percent of the  maximum.  When using headphones or earbuds, if someone were to speak to you at a normal volume at an arms length away, you should be able to hear them. If the person has to shout in order for you to hear them, that means your music is too loud. To prevent damage to your ears, reduce the volume and length of use.

14. What is hearing loss like?

Untreated hearing loss can lead to feelings of isolation and in some cases, even depression. Imagine you are at a party and someone tells a joke but you miss the punchline. Everyone but you laughs. You are going to feel left out in this situation. Now imaging that happening to you all the time. Eventually you might find yourself withdrawing from social events, because you don’t want to be around people in noisy group situations.

 

Student reflection:

1. Why I would like this job:

This job is challenging in multiple ways. For example, it requires you to have good people, problem solving, and academic skills. This job involves working in teams and individually. Sometimes there are very tough cases that require more than one person to handle it. If this was my job, I would get to work with a lot of adults and seniors, and I do enjoy working with them. I love how you can make a difference for the clients. Part of the job is helping a person learn how to cope with hearing loss. Having the opportunity to work with someone through this experience is something I’d like to do and I think it would be very rewarding. 

2. Why I wouldn’t like this job:

Since this job brings many challenges, this can lead to some days being mentally tiring. Along with seeing clients, there are some administrative parts as well. I was able to help with some of the paper work. I found that the administrative work was very time consuming and not the most fun thing to do either. There are periods of time where I would be sitting down in one place for a long time. For me, I would get antsy and have the need to move around.

3. Is this job for you? Why or why not?

Although this job has a lot of attributes that I am looking for, it is not quite the perfect fit. Along with seniors, I would like to be able to work with children. Children can still be clients at the clinic but this clinic mostly serves seniors. I want to work with a wide range of different people on a regular basis. I think this job made me realize I would enjoy working in health care, but I would probably want to expand to something like a medical doctor.

4. Explain the value of the TOKTW experience in relation to your ideas about post- secondary plans?

This experience allowed me not only to see what my mother does, but also what  a few of her coworkers do as well. I was shown some of the skills I would need in order to be successful in this field and this type of environment. Post-secondary education is definitely one of the qualifications I will be needing to obtain. By attending this clinic, it opened my eyes to the other possibilities that I could do in a health-related field. Even though the process of completing all of the training and education is likely to be challenging, it’s worth it in the end.