Month: July 1998

By: Brian Walden, Ph.D.

Over the past 25 years, the scope of practice for audiologists has expanded drastically. The background knowledge and clinical skills required to practice this profession today exceeds that which can be taught under the current two-year Master’s degree educational model. As a result, audiology training programs are moving toward a 4-5 year post-baccalaureate Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) training model. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association has mandated that, by 2011, the doctorate will be the entry-level degree required to be credentialed within the profession.

Standards of practice for audiologists employed by the federal government have traditionally equaled or exceeded those for audiologists in the private sector. Based on the evolving standards of practice, audiologists hired by the federal government in the future must hold the doctorate. It is less clear what requirements may be placed on current government audiologists to upgrade their credentials. Meetings among the Audiology Consultants to the Army, Navy, and Air Force Surgeon General, and the Director of Audiology and Speech Pathology Services for the Department of Veterans Affairs, led to a consensus position that it was desirable for audiology to be a doctoral-level profession within the federal government early in the 21st century. Consequently, this leadership group developed a strategic plan to upgrade government audiologists currently holding the Master’s degree to the Au.D. degree. The primary mechanism for doing this was by developing a distance-learning based Au.D. degree university program that would be accessible to participants without interfering with their normal duties as government audiologists.

The Joint Services/Department of Veterans Affairs Au.D. Steering Committee was formed consisting of audiology leaders from the three military services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, professional audiology associations, and universities having major audiology educational programs. An Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued to 120 universities within the United States to develop and offer a distance-learning based Au.D. degree program to government audiologists. The RFP stipulated that the program must be affordable, readily accessible to government audiologists, and reasonable in its curricular requirements in light of the participant’s existing clinical knowledge and skills.

Funds were raised from the three military services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, professional audiology organizations, and private industry to underwrite the RFP. Major contributions were made by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the American Academy of Audiology. The Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, headquarter in Rockville, Maryland, was enlisted to administer the RFP and do fund raising with private industry.

Several excellent proposals were received from prestigious universities in response to the RFP and were reviewed by the Steering Committee. As a result of that process, a proposal jointly submitted by Central Michigan University (CMU) and Vanderbilt University (VU) was selected to receive a $250,000.00 award. Both universities are accredited by one of the six regional institutional accrediting associations for colleges and universities, and have highly respected audiology educational programs.

The characteristics of the CMU/VU Au.D. degree program that will be offered to audiologists currently practicing within the federal government include the following:

1. The program will be offered primarily through the Internet and, as such, will be readily accessible to all government audiologists regardless of their employment location.
2. The program will be self-paced and accessible at the participant’s convenience. As such, it will not interfere with the participant’s government work activities and may be completed within 1-2 years.
3. Tuition costs to government audiologists are highly affordable (i.e, approx. $7,000-$8,000 to obtain the degree).
4. Clinical competencies and other curricular requirements requiring direct interactions between participants and instructors will be taught in workshops held in conjunction with the annual conventions of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the American Academy of Audiology, and at the annual Military Audiology Short Course.

The CMU/VU distance-learning Au.D. degree program for government audiologists will be available by September, 1999. It appears likely that many of the nearly 500 audiologists currently employed by the federal government will chose to upgrade their credentials to the Au.D. degree over the next decade. Although the program was designed for government audiologists, it is expected to be made available to audiologists not employed by the federal government as well. For more information contact Dr. Brian Walden, Executive Secretary, Joint Services/Department of Veterans Affairs Au.D. Steering Committee (202-782-8601); or Dr. Bryce Redington, Special Projects Program Director, Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (301-294-1226).

By: COL Richard Danielson, USA

The Council of Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC) has recently voted to produce two videotapes which will be accepted as authorized stitutions for live presentations in a hearing conservation workshop. While use of qualified instructors is a preferred mechanism for providing focused instructions, CAOHC recognizes that it is often difficult to obtain appropriate support from individuals in certain professions (e.g., otolaryngology or industrial hygiene), especially when courses are taught by individuals who are “obliged” to fill in as one of three CAOHC-recognized professions. When these videotapes (“Anatomy and Physiology of the Ear” and “Noise measurement and Control”) are ready, course directors may be able to keep the classes focused on essential material, rather than drifting to nonessential material or missing critical teaching points. The course director will be able, after showing the 30-minute video, to then discuss the teaching points with the class. Details are being worked out by a committee with two MAA members, LtCol Theresa Schulz and COL Dick Danielson.

In another area, MAA members are reminded that CAOHC must receive your application to hold a hearing conservation course no less than 30 days prior to the course. Recently, more than one military course director has sent in an application after the deadline (in one case, less than one week prior to the workshop). MAA representatives were contacted and defended the two cases. However, please note that such exceptions to policy do not help military course director status in CAOHC. While we currently enjoy several benefits not available to our civilian counterparts (e.g., waivers on course pubication fees, reduced prices for OHC applications and CAOHC manuals), the proportion of OHC’s applying for CAOHC certification is far less than the national average. It is essential that military course directors prepare their applications on time, to meet the CAOHC requirements and allow proper planning of a quality hearing conservation training program. Civilian course directors desire maximum publicity and advance notice of their courses, so short-term notices from military course directors are unique and questionable.