The Pulse Tone August 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.

Have Ya Heard?

• As our understanding of the COVID-19 pandemics effects and pathophysiology continues to evolve, more attention is starting to be paid to the multi-systems effect of the disease on the body. These effects go beyond the acute and permanent damage to the respiratory, immune, neurological, and gastrointestinal systems. Recent research has drawn a spotlight on the potential deleterious effects of the novel coronavirus on the hearing and balance organs.
  
  Though evidence is still preliminary, we as providers need to arm ourselves with this information and be ready for our patients. Check out some of the latest research articles below, and be sure to stay tuned to the Academy website for the latest COVID-19 news and resources.
   
  • Audiological profile of asymptomatic Covid-19 PCR-positive cases,by M.W.M Mustafa.
  • Does coronavirus affect the audio-vestibular system? A rapid systematic review, by Almufarrij, Uus, & Munro
  • Could sudden sensorineural hearing loss be the sole manifestation of COVID-19? An investigation into SARS-COV-2 in the etiology of sudden sensorineural hearing loss, by Kilic et al.
     
• Among the daily stressors that continue to be posed by this global pandemic, one population that is undoubtedly facing challenges is those with hearing loss. We see this firsthand at our clinics and during interactions with patients. Wearing masks, though increasingly important, is inconvenient, uncomfortable, and eliminates the ability to read facial expressions and lips. With research and the CDC news release emphasizing continued facemask usage to prevent COVID-19’s spread, and the growing list of statewide mandates, face coverings (and the inherent communication difficulties that come with them) are likely here to stay. The Academy, as well as other national hearing healthcare organizations, are committed to helping you be an assertive advocate for the health of you, your coworkers, and your patients.
  • Our Essential Role in Communication: Resources That Can Help
  • Managing Hearing Loss in the Time of COVID-19
  • COVID-19 Informational Dashboard
  • The challenges of facemasks for people with hearing loss

Need to Know

• The Academy recently upgraded the member dashboard. Login and update your profile to help consumers find you and your practice via the Find An Audiologist directory.
• September 13-19 is Balance Awareness Week! The Academy created focused social media graphics and infographics to spread awareness regarding hearing and balance issues.

New Professionals Spotlight

As highlighted in our previous Pulse Tone installment in April, we are currently pausing our New Professionals Spotlight to continue our efforts to keep you informed on the latest COVID-19 news.

Recently on July 13, 2020 the AAA New Professionals Committee held a Virtual Town Hall to discuss 

employment and resume building opportunities amidst COVID-19. Check out our Facebook Group, New Professionals in Audiology, and join in the conversation to stay on top of the latest tips to help get you through these unprecedented times and ask questions! Within our Facebook group, you can find:

1. Discussion topics posted to the Facebook page
2. A schedule to when video conference calls will be held and information on how to participate
3. Following conference calls, we will post a summary of the call and provide resources discussed

Here are some other topics currently being considered:

• 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.

Redrawing our focus to the future, 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. We look to continue our regular Spotlight segment soon!

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
• Workplace Burnout

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.