Hosting Audiology Students……Family Hearing and Balance Center

At Family Hearing and Balance Center, we are honored to host 3rd and 4th year students from various Audiology Programs, and within this rotation, we have Brittney McKee with us. We have asked Brittney to share her experience with us. Below are her thoughts.

I am a third year graduate audiology student at the Northeast Ohio Au.D. Consortium (NOAC). As a student, we are asked what type of rotations we would like to be placed in during our third year. Private practice was one of mine. Needless to say, I was excited to find out that I would be at Family Hearing and Balance Center for my fall rotation.

Family Hearing and Balance Center has offered me the opportunity to see how a private practice is run, while providing me with unique opportunities that I would not have been offered elsewhere. The practice works with a wide variety of hearing aid manufacturers, which has allowed me to better understand how each manufacturer is different and alike to better help my patients. Balance testing is something that not every placement offers, especially in a private practice setting. This placement has provided me with the experience of seeing and practicing balance testing while concurrently learning it in the classroom, which has increased my understanding about the vestibular system. The practice also offers tinnitus assessment and treatment options, which is another unique feature that other placements do not offer. These unique experiences allow me to use my classroom knowledge about the subjects and apply them in live situations to help patients.

In addition to being able to fine-tune my testing and interpreting test results, the practice has shown me how patient care should be. Everyone that comes in the door, from the employees to the patients, are treated like family. It is not just about treating the problem that the patient comes to see you for, but about letting them know that you care and want them to succeed. I have learned so much in the short time I have been here and am confident that I am gaining the skills that I need to become an excellent licensed audiologist.