Sorry to be repetitive, but if she shadows an audiologist and it remains as a possible career I would choose a school that has it as a major….. because it’s a lot easier. Some schools call it speech and hearing, some call it communication disorders etc. She will need an AuD which is a 4 year program leading to a professional doctorate.
If she changes her mind she can pivot to one of the other career paths- keep in mind that they may come with different requirements, expectations etc…even for the same type of degree.
Do you live near a university with an audiology clinic? If so, perhaps contact them…as a prospective student looking for more information. I’ll bet they will help out.
Have you looked at the University of Maine? They have a communication disorders major (along with many others) and they have out of state scholarships.
My first question is HOW does she even get the opportunity to shadow one? We went to an informational talk -but she’d really like to see the day to day work. We have a vague idea of the clinical work -but we also heard there is an industry side -and neither of us knows what they do at all. We actually have a school with a grad program here -but they don’t allow shadowing -so I’m at a loss.
She has shadowed with a PA and a Dentist. She liked both of them - but more like 'that’s cool" rather than “I MUST do this” She’s looking at life style factors (work-life balance) as well as the job itself…so she’s being fairly pragmatic about it.
We tried that but unfortunately the university doesn’t let HS students shadow (I have no idea how they get students interested in the field, if students can’t see the field.) Same with many of the hospitals -she has to be 18 for many of them. I’m thinking this summer we try a private clinic for audiology. It’s not quite the same experience as a hospital experience though.
It’s on the backup options list -but she’s not really looking for a public university. URI is on the list because it has a number of half and full-tuition scholarships.
Yes! But at this point if it doesn’t happen - she can pursue it in college. It might make audiology a bit harder to get into -but she can always take some summer classes.
Thanks! GCs are hard to shadow in general (per the website) – that will likely need to be a college shadowing opportunity. I am pretty sure a local audiologist won’t be as hard to find. I was just hoping she could shadow a pediatric audiologist since much of her volunteer work has been kid related -and she has enjoyed that. This spring has also been CRAZY with research competition season. I’d say the summer should be lighter -but I don’t think it will be. Haha!
Don’t get caught up in “shadowing”. Due to patient privacy concerns, actually following around (i.e. shadowing) a medical/allied health professional may not be possible. But finding a professional who will spend a few hours (over a period of a month? a Zoom call here and there, a physical meeting to see the layout of the office) describing the work, the challenges, what’s gratifying and what’s awful, can take the place of formal “shadowing”.
I was asked recently if I’d be willing to have a HS kid in the exam room (kid was shadowing my PCP). I declined. I’ve consented to med students in a parents hospital room as the parent was dying; I’ve had med students observing and asking questions during my own surgery; I’ve had a college kid who was pre-med sit in on a post-surgical appointment.
But a 17 year old- listening to my doctor describe possible side effects of a new medication, discussing the state of my reproductive system and further coordination with my gynecologist- no thank you.
I know several genetic counselors. The work they do is exceedingly sensitive and sometimes traumatic for the patient. Perhaps meet-ups when there are no patients in the room is the better strategy.
Thank you! That’s helpful. As a side note – I had a number of students shadowing one of my deliveries and THAT was the one that was a bloody mess. I’m kind of surprised no one passed out. Think I scared them away from that career field though.
I had wondered if genetic counseling was too sensitive for people to shadow. My daughter shadowed our PA -and she did walk away struggling to determine if she could deal with dying patients. But that is an important take away. I’ll see if she can chat with the genetic counselors about the job itself.
And perhaps get two different GC’s who practice in different settings.
Someone who is part of the oncology practice at a large hospital will have a different perspective than someone who is employed by a high risk obstetrical practice or a fertility clinic. Different patient populations, different outcomes. The GC’s goal is for patients to make an informed decision (or set of decisions) given the medical facts and the known odds of various possible outcomes. But how you get there… that’s the heart and soul of the field…
GC has different specialties- neurogenic, cardiac, cancer, peds, prenatal, metabolic, ocular etc.
A few schools have industry rotations as well as clinical.
Like I said it is part of the match and is competitive (limited seats). It is best to apply when you are truly ready and feel comfortable with the interview process- which can be 2 days x the number of interviews you receive. You could meet with various specialists, MDs etc
She’s looking at life style factors (work-life balance) as well as the job itself…so she’s being fairly pragmatic about it.
(I have no idea how they get students interested in the field, if students can’t see the field.) Same with many of the hospitals -she has to be 18 for many of them. I’m thinking this summer we try a private clinic for audiology. It’s not quite the same experience as a hospital experience though.