Other Allied Health Science Professionals
This unit group covers Allied Health Science Professionals not elsewhere classified. It includes Audiologists, Cardiac Physiologists, Diabetes Educators, Neurophysiology Scientists, Orthoptists and Respiratory and Sleep Scientists.
A day in the hearing clinic
You are an audiologist in a hearing clinic, testing adults and children and helping people decide what, if anything, will help them hear better. It is 9am. Your diary has a mix of new patients and reviews. One of them is a reluctant client, one is a worried parent, and one visit may be about more than hearing.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
My kids sent me. I don't need a test, I hear what I want to hear. My wife says I ignore her, but she mumbles. Let's get this over with so I can tell them I'm fine.
Run the test and tell him the results plainly, with no further comment on what they mean
The results show some hearing loss. He shrugs and says he told them so. The numbers on their own do not change how he feels or what he will do about it.
Ask which situations he finds hardest and test for what he is really missing
He admits that he struggles with the television and with his grandson's voice. The test shows why. He leaves still unsure, but willing to try something.
Tell him his family are right and that he needs to do something about it
He bristles and leaves early. He tells his family the audiologist was pushy, and decides never to come back.
I want you to recommend the top-of-the-range model to every client. It's the one the clinic makes the most from. Don't worry about whether they need all the features, just say it's the best.
Recommend the top model to everyone, because the clinic depends on it and she is the owner
Clients are sold features they don't need. Some find out later and complain, and your own professional standing is questioned.
Say you'll recommend what suits each person, and explain why that protects the clinic
She grudgingly agrees, though she remains unconvinced. The tension lingers, but clients start sending friends because they feel well advised.
Refuse and say that you will report the clinic if this continues
You hold your ground, but you have escalated before trying a conversation. The relationship becomes difficult and your position is uncomfortable.
The newborn hearing screen said to follow up, and I haven't slept since. My baby seems to respond to loud noises. Does this mean something is wrong? Please tell me straight.
Explain that follow-up is common and what the next test will show
She exhales for the first time in days. Knowing the steps makes the waiting bearable. You do not promise an outcome, and she appreciates that.
Tell her it is very probably nothing and not to worry
You can't know that yet. If the next test shows hearing loss, she will remember you telling her it was nothing, and her trust in the clinic will be damaged.
Say you can't comment until the full test is done and she should wait for the results
You are right not to guess, but she is left with a week of worry and no information. A few honest words about the process would have helped.
How it went
By the end of the day you have tested hearing, explained results and held your ground about honest advice. Audiology combines science and sound with an ear for what people struggle to say. Would you enjoy helping someone rejoin the conversation?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The restaurant that was too loud
A fictional case set in a hearing clinic with a soundproof testing booth, in a suburban medical centre.
The situation
Peter was an audiologist who tested hearing in a suburban clinic. Mrs Lam, seventy-six, had been brought in by her husband, who was frustrated that she often said pardon. She sat in the booth with her arms folded and told Peter she heard perfectly well. In quiet, her test results were quite good. Her husband said hearing aids were a waste. She felt that being told she had a problem was an insult. Peter could have told them both the results were normal and sent them home.
What they did
Peter asked Mrs Lam when she had last felt left out of a conversation. She said it was at family dinners in restaurants, where she could not follow what her grandchildren were saying. He ran a test with background noise, which showed her struggling when others were speaking. He explained, using her own result, why quiet rooms felt fine but noisy places were hard. He suggested a trial of small devices for a few weeks with no obligation, and gave her husband a part to play, which was to face her when he spoke.
How it turned out
Mrs Lam tried the devices at her granddaughter's birthday and followed three conversations at once. She did not say she'd been wrong. She just asked Peter if she could keep them. He said the trial was less about the machine and more about listening to what she was actually missing.
What would you do?
- Why did the background noise test change Mrs Lam's mind?
- How would you talk to someone who feels insulted by a test result?
- What might make a person avoid getting their hearing checked?