By Hillary Cruise
This article is a part of the July/August 2020, Volume 32, Number 4, Audiology Today issue.
A majority of my life has been spent in pursuit of education; however, now I am seeing that chapter quickly coming to an end as I finish my second year of the master of science in audiology program at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, Scotland.
With dissertation hand-in dates looming, I have taken time to really reflect on my experience as an international audiology master’s student amid a global pandemic. It has definitely been a learning curve—navigating differing registration processes, and the U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS) can be confusing at times—but I now have the foundations I need to be a good clinician and to start my career.
My Path to Audiology
In my fourth year (of undergrad) at the University of Toronto, I took a course taught by an audiologist and was thus introduced to the field. Until then, I had no idea the area even existed. In one of the lectures, she invited a panel of colleagues to discuss the different job opportunities within the larger field. After learning about the work undertaken by a pediatric audiologist, something clicked; the combination of using continuously developing technology and employing a multitude communication tactics gripped my attention. It was that class that made all the difference.
At the same time, I was trying to figure out what to do after graduation. I considered taking some time off to travel. My grandmother was born in Scotland and left to move to Canada when she was five years old, and I had always wanted to investigate where my family came from. While planning the trip, I stumbled upon the master’s of science program in audiology in Edinburgh. It felt too good to be true. With a lot of encouragement from my family, I filled out the application.
The program focuses on clinical experience, providing students with extensive hands-on training, both on campus in the labs and in the field on clinical placement, and enforced through theory and problem-based learning in lectures. Everything fell into place, and I started the program in September 2018. I feel like I am right where I am supposed to be.
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