Since the creation of the AuD, many conversations have taken place to evaluate audiology education and the externship, but few of those have included large perspectives from significant stakeholders—students and recent graduates. To address this, the Student Academy of Audiology Education and Externship Survey was disseminated in September 2018 to current graduate students, externs, and new professionals to further investigate areas of strengths and weaknesses in the current education model and the externship process. 

On Thursday, April 6, 2017, at AudiologyNOW! (now AAA Annual Conference) in Indianapolis, Indiana, the annual Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Audiologists Meeting sparked connections and a desire to change perspectives. 

One of the Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) Development Committee’s goals is to promote humanitarian work among our chapters. We believe these kinds of experiences allow students to develop a broader perspective in audiology by acquiring important skills to practice empathy and compassion as a fundamental part of interaction with a patient. Consequently, this committee is working on creating opportunities to develop these kinds of skills. 

"So what do you do?" I paused and thought of several different responses that were possible. I responded with a smile and three simple words, "I change lives."

Over the course of our careers, we are asked many times why we do what we do—sometimes we even ask ourselves that question. While there is a myriad of answers, some individuals have a personal experience with audiology that brought them to this profession. More and more students are entering the profession with hearing loss, and are excited for what the future has in store.