By Scott Griffiths
This article is a part of the January/February 2019, Volume 31, Number 1, Audiology Today issue.
The doctor of audiology (AuD) degree was developed to support a profession with a scope of practice that had outgrown its existing educational standards. Multiple professional associations, including the American Academy of Audiology, the American Speech–Language–Hearing Association, and the Academy of Dispensing Audiologists (later renamed the Academy of Doctors of Audiology) worked to define the expanding knowledge and skills expected of competent audiologists. With a set of competencies as the desired outcome, accrediting bodies such as the Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education (ACAE) developed educational standards for AuD programs.
Our associations have come together and invested considerable effort in defining the key characteristics of the clinical immersion experience or externship that optimally will prepare students for independent practice. The most recent was in October 2016 at the Audiology Education Summit on the clinical externship. Comparatively less attention has been devoted to the initial phases of our professional education.
ACAE seeks to promulgate best practices in audiology education through sharing the models and tools that AuD programs find effective. With particular concern for advancing the discussion of the educational experiences before the clinical immersion experience, here are examples of different clinical instruction approaches within the first year of an AuD program.
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