Why did you decide to become an Audiologist?
After volunteering at Deaf community events, I really began to appreciate the complexities of hearing loss. I started researching hearing technology (and watching cochlear implant activations on YouTube), and then I began taking classes in speech and hearing sciences. As an Audiologist, you have a balance of technical knowledge and face-to-face patient time which is perfect.
What’s a typical day like for you?
My daily work is full of variety because every patient’s needs are different. I do everything from hearing tests to consultations and fittings for hearing aids to dizziness/balance assessment and evoked potential (neurological) recordings.
What do you like most about what you do?
I enjoy the day-to-day satisfaction of helping patients improve their ability to communicate and ease their listening effort. I feel privileged to have access to unique hearing solutions at Shohet Ear, including extended-wear and implantable hearing solutions. It’s very rewarding to find a breakthrough solution for a patient who has been told “nothing can be done” to improve their hearing.
Do you have any memorable patients that you’ve worked with recently?
Yes. One of my patients was recently widowed and found herself adapting to a new set of daily logistics. She wanted to stay socially active, but found herself withdrawing from friends and family because of her hearing difficulty; her husband used to help her ‘catch up’ on conversations. She also expressed concern about her safety at home due to hearing loss. It was inspiring to see this woman recognize her needs and try hearing aids for the first time in such a time of change. Her new found confidence with hearing aids was wonderful to see.
What do you find challenging about your work?
One of the most challenging (and enjoyable) parts of working at Shohet Ear is keeping up with new technology! Hearing device technology improves rapidly and sometimes the hardest part about finding ‘the next great thing’ is there’s another upgrade right around the corner.
Is there any new research or hearing technology that you are excited about?
I’m currently excited about bimodal cochlear implant systems. That is, cochlear implant processors and hearing aids that communicate wirelessly ear-to-ear to provide cochlear implant users a unique hearing advantage.
I’m also excited about EarLens, the light-driven hearing aid fit with a lens directly on the eardrum. It has been fun to hear long-time hearing aid patients’ reactions to this new and improved sound quality.