The Pulse Tone April 2020

About Us

Welcome back to the PulseTone! This is the ninth installment of the New Professional’s e-newsletter.  You can find the previous installments here. We know you are busy and receive many emails so we promise to keep this short but informative.

Wait a second – who is ‘we’?

“We” is the New Professionals Committee.  We’ve been around for a few years now, and are tasked with identifying and promoting the needs of New Professionals within the Academy.  Communication is a two-way street, and we want to improve our connections with all of our fellow NPs.

Wondering how to get involved in the Academy? Sign-in to the Audiology Community and under the “Volunteer” tab, select “Current Volunteer Opportunities” for a listing of all open opportunities. The Volunteer Reserve is currently open for applications. View the Academy’s volunteer FAQ page for more information.

Have Ya Heard?

• Over the last few weeks, many audiologists worldwide have had to close the physical doors of practices and transition to telehealth services. An article about Telehealth was published in the March/April 2020 issue of Audiology Today. While doctors Samantha Kleindienst Robler, AuD, PhD, John Kokesh, MD, Susan Emmett, MD, MPH, and Philip Hofstetter, AuD, primarily focused on implementing telehealth practices to overcome geographical barriers, it has now become a healthcare delivery method that every audiologist should consider moving forward.
  • Here are some resources for state-specific guidelines as well as general guidance:         
    • COVID-19 Telehealth Update and Guidance from the Academy
    • State and Local Covid-19 Response Information – Academy
    • Telepractice Policy – ASHA
  • The Academy is also offering a complimentary web seminar, “Supporting Patients at a Distance: Telehealth Now and in the Future” on May 1 at 3:00 PM ET. Register and attend the live web seminar on eAudiology and earn 0.1 CEUS/Tier 1.
• On April 2, the Academy submitted a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requesting that they lift the physician order requirements for beneficiaries and to allow audiologists to provide services via telehealth. More information on legislative efforts by and for audiologists, is available under the Government Relations News section of the Academy website.

Need to Know

• Select sessions that were scheduled for AAA 2020 + HearTECH Expo are now being offered on eAudiology at no cost such as Grand Rounds and Industry Solutions.
• Elections for the 2020 Academy Board are open until May 8. Check out the bios for President-Elect and Member-at-Large nominees posted on the Academy website and then cast your vote.

New Professionals Spotlight

Instead of introducing an individual new professional here, we will be taking to social media and video conferencing for this next segment. Check out our Facebook Group, New Professionals in Audiology, and join in the conversation. Here is our plan:

1. We will post weekly/biweekly topics on the Facebook page
2. A video conference call will be scheduled to discuss the chosen weekly topic
3. Following the conference call, we will post a summary of the discussion and provide any resources available

Here are some topics we plan to discuss:

• How are other audiologists/facilities handling the COVID-19 pandemic?
• Telehealth – Establishing protocols and running appointments
• Ways to stay productive while seeing fewer patients
• Furlough and unemployment

This is an opportunity to engage with other new professionals. We hope to see you in the Facebook group and look forward to meeting you throughout the video conferencing discussions.

Do you have a new professional friend you would like to see us put in the spotlight next time? Send us an e-mail with your suggestion!

Other News Bytes

Check out our News Bytes section of the New Professionals web page. We release periodic articles about topics of interest to NPs and beyond.  

• Professional Networking Outside of Audiology
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness
• Thinking About Thinking: Discussing Bias Within Audiology

That’s it!  You made it to the end of this newsletter and hopefully you learned something useful.  We would love to hear from you, please consider the following:  

• Contact us
• Answer two questions for us, ask a question of us
• Visit the NP portion of the Academy website

We welcome your feedback! Please feel free to reach out.