JD CGSC ASSIGNMENT (1)
.pdf
keyboard_arrow_up
School
University of New England *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
100
Subject
Medicine
Date
Apr 3, 2024
Type
Pages
2
Uploaded by SuperHumanTreeFish33
Jaida Damato
Audiology Write Up
13 Wednesday 2023
Audiologist Observation
On December 7th, from 1 PM-3 PM, I was given the opportunity to observe Michelle
Ciancia (#O2-0000256), an Audiologist at Nemours Children's Hospital. I sat in while she saw
two patients for appointments.
The first patient, CP, was a 17-month-old child who was referred to Nemours for a speech
delay. CP is a Twin A who was born prematurely. He had to be held in the NICU for 38 days
where he received oxygen for an extended period of time. Dr. Ciancia started the tests by having
CP and his mother sit in a soundproof booth. Using a tympanometer, she saw what the outer ear
looked like. After doing so, she performed a Visual Reinforcement Audiology (VRA) with
puppets; The patient sat in a chair on his mothers lap while using both ears to respond to the
softest sound they could hear. Dr. Ciancia used an audiometer to adjust the frequency and
amplitude of the noises coming out from the speakers. She would increase/decrease the
frequency and amplitude of the sounds. When CP correctly turned his head, a puppet would
dance as a reward. After the test was over, she informed the parent that his hearing is normal and
that they should return in about a year to follow-up.
The second patient Dr. Ciancia tested was a 5-year-old twin (MK) brought in by his
father with concerns of ear infections in Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. There had previously
been a lot of backed up cerumen in his left ear that could be resulting in hearing loss. She used a
tympanometer to check the status of his outer ears. He received normal tympanometry results in
the right ear, but not in the left ear. The tympanogram displayed a combination of Type C and
Type As waves, telling her that there is stiffness and negative pressure in the left ear. She then
used a conventional audiometer using audio through inserts. Then, Dr. Ciancia used SRT with
pictures. Once she noticed MK was having a hard time on the left side, air and bone conduction
tests were performed. After the series of tests, the clinician concluded that MK has mild
conductive hearing loss in the left ear, along with Eustachian Tube Dysfunction.
For both appointments, Dr. Ciancia would set the patient up in the booth and then sit in a
separate room with a window and talk to the child through a microphone. When we would learn
about testing in class, I always thought the clinician would be face to face with the patients.
The audiologist used many of the technologies covered in our classes. She performed
tympanometry and used an audiometer for both patients. She used an ascending/descending
technique to determine the patients' thresholds. Many of the verbal notes she made aligned with
class information, and I felt well-prepared for the discussions with her.
It was pretty apparent that my clinician was unhappy in the field. She didn’t convey this
through her interactions with the patients, rather subtle comments when we would talk. If I was
more comfortable with her, I would ask her what it is about the field that draws her away. As
someone that aspires to be a Speech/Language Pathologist, I would want to know if its the
setting, the patients, or the healthcare field as a whole.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help