Audiology is a rapidly developing field and approximately 16% of the UK population has hearing loss, which indicates the importance of Audiology within the NHS. As an Audiology STP trainee, I work in the hospital Ear, Nose and Throat/ Audiology Department in Outpatients as well as occasionally in community settings and I have recently started my second year in the programme.
Our role is patient-facing and involves
- Testing and diagnosis of hearing loss and tinnitus
- Rehabilitation and fitting of hearing devices and providing auditory training, hearing tactics and counselling
- Diagnosis and treatment of vestibular (balance) problems
- Seeing newborn babies and children through to adults and the elderly population
1st Year
In the 1st year of training, STP Audiology students have four placements as part of the Neurosensory Science stream; Audiology, Vision Sciences, Neurophysiology and Clinical Assessment and Investigation (placements in Imaging and Pathology). We had university teaching, as part of the Master’s course, on each area to prepare us for our placements. My Master’s course is provided by the University of Manchester, and we spend a few weeks a year at University and spend the rest of the time in our host hospitals.
The Audiology section of this year is mostly focused on straight forward testing in adult patients. The other modules were really interesting, as they allowed me to see what happens in other specialisms and to widen my knowledge of Neurosensory Science.
2nd and 3rd Year
In the final two years, we focus entirely on Audiology. I have recently started to run my own clinics within the department and am becoming more involved in vestibular and paediatric clinics. We also do modules in epidemiology and public health as well as undertaking a research project in an audiology area of our choice.
I have really enjoyed my first year and a half of Audiology training. It allows me to combine a scientific approach with patient focussed care, and it’s nice to be able to see the effect my work has on the lives of my patients. The STP allows you to develop advanced clinical skills paired with the theoretical knowledge to provide a high standard of care and develop new ideas in the field.
Feel free to contact me at rebeccajiom9@gmail.com for any Audiology/STP related questions and I’ll try to help as best as I can! Good luck 2019 applicants!
STP Perspectives 
One thought on “Specialisms | Audiology”