About the position
The Department of Audiology at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, a prestigious Harvard teaching hospital, is currently accepting applications for a fourth-year Au.D. externship training program. This externship offers a unique opportunity for students to provide comprehensive audiological assessment and rehabilitation services to patients of all ages at the Mass Eye and Ear main hospital located in Boston, MA. Externs will be immersed in a busy and challenging training environment, where they are encouraged to take advantage of various continuing education opportunities available through the clinical departments and research laboratories. The externship is a full-time, 12-month position set to begin in June 2025. Candidates are expected to have mastered essential audiological skills prior to starting their clinical externship, including taking a case history, performing behavioral audiometry with adults and older children, conducting acoustic admittance testing, and basic report writing. During the externship, externs will learn and demonstrate additional competencies such as behavioral audiometry with young children, hearing aid selection and fitting, newborn hearing screening, and patient counseling regarding diagnostic test results and rehabilitation recommendations. Externs will have the opportunity to engage in various clinical activities, including pediatric evaluations, adult hearing evaluations, tympanometry, and cochlear implant evaluations. The externship also includes a financial arrangement of a $16,000 annual stipend, with 10 days of time off and an additional 5 days allocated for educational purposes throughout the year. Research opportunities will be available based on individual interests, and externs will have access to numerous seminars and continuing education events throughout the year.
Responsibilities
- Provide comprehensive audiological assessment and rehabilitation services to patients of all ages.
- Conduct behavioral audiometry with adults and older children.
- Perform acoustic admittance testing, including tympanometry and acoustic reflexes.
- Administer otoacoustic emissions testing and basic evoked response skills.
- Engage in basic hearing aid skills and report writing.
- Demonstrate competence in behavioral audiometry with young children during the externship.
- Participate in hearing aid selection, fitting, and rehabilitative follow-up.
- Conduct newborn hearing screenings and assess various electrophysiologic responses.
- Gain exposure to cochlear implant evaluations and rehabilitation.
- Counsel patients regarding diagnostic test results and rehabilitation recommendations.
Requirements
- Must be a fourth-year Au.D. student with a Bachelor's Degree in a related field.
- Demonstrated mastery of essential audiological skills prior to the externship.
- Ability to take a case history and perform behavioral audiometry with adults and older children.
- Experience with acoustic admittance testing and basic report writing.
Nice-to-haves
- Experience with pediatric evaluations, particularly with infants and toddlers.
- Familiarity with cochlear implant evaluations and programming.
- Knowledge of tinnitus assessments and rehabilitation.
Benefits
- $16,000 annual stipend (non-negotiable).
- 10 days of time off for personal use.
- 5 days of education time throughout the year.
- Access to continuing education opportunities and seminars.
- Research opportunities available on an individual basis.
