Behind-the-scenes support is pushing the AuD movement.

By Tracy Harding

While the term "Move the Mountain" is likely just a simple idiom for many people, it is an expression that holds much deeper significance for audiologists and the history of the AuD movement. "Operation Move the Mountain" was the title of a 1991 conference, sponsored by Audiology Foundation of America (AFA), to devise strategies to encourage universities to adopt the AuD degree. It was a forward step intended to turn talk of doctoral education into reality.

Current reality now shows us that there's good news to report: the mountain is moving. All master's degree programs have closed admissions, and there are currently 70 residential AuD programs (down from 120 master's programs) across the country.

"The demands of a first professional degree education are so great that it was unreasonable to expect traditionally small programs to continue," says AFA Executive Director Susan Paarlberg. "The educational system is now producing independent practitioners who are better positioned to reach larger segments of the patient population."

The contributions of distance education AuD programs toward the profession's transition have also been crucially important. From the beginning, AFA directors thought it was essential to give current practitioners a ladder to the new education and doctoral degree. From this vision, distance education programs were created. Although the Pennsylvania College of Optometry School of Audiology will close admissions at the end of 2006, two programs, the Arizona School of Health Sciences and the University of Florida, remain open and dedicated to doctoral education for current audiology practitioners.

A current map shows that two states, Florida at 37 percent and North Dakota at 34 percent, have the highest percentage of AuD audiologists. Many other states are not far behind. Although we're not there yet, the mountain is certainly moving.

Behind-the-Scenes Support

Over the years, the AuD movement has been consistently supported by the thousands of practicing audiologists who have made the decision to pursue the degree. Silently standing behind many of these audiologists are the employers and mentors who have helped them, both financially and personally, in their quest to enhance their own education and bring a higher skill level to their patients.

A recent informal AFA survey shows that many practitioners have pursued the AuD degree with the blessing and, often, financial support of their employers. With survey responses from 128 audiologists, data shows that many audiologists who work in hospitals or clinics receive at least some form of financial support under the heading of continued education. Perhaps of even more significant note are the many private practitioners who have also paid, often entirely, for the AuD education of an employee. This behind-the-scenes support of the AuD movement has not only helped further the profession, but has made a lifelong impact on countless individuals.

"I felt proud that my employer wanted to help me obtain a higher degree to improve patient care, as well as improve the level of staff credentials within the organization," says Cristen Plummer, an audiologist whose employer, Mark Brumback, BC-HIS, CEO of Hearing Aid Express in Austin, Texas, is funding her AuD education at the Arizona School of Health Sciences (A.T. Still University).

Heather L. Shenk, AuD, also received financial support from her employer, Ed Kocher, Jr., BC-HIS, Advanced Tech Hearing Aid Centers in Lancaster, PA, and knows she will see the value of her additional education even into the future.

"I obtained my AuD from PCO in April 2004," she says. "Not only did I want to expand my knowledge, I also wanted to have the same credentials as audiologists 10 years from now. The doctorate gave me much-needed insight. As I become a better professional, everyone benefits."

AFA survey data further shows that employers have often financed AuD degrees for more than one employee—with a reported high of seven and an average of 1.58 per employer. Christine Raffo, AuD, is one such employer.

Dr. Raffo earned her own AuD degree from the University of Florida in 2000. She is now the owner of HearClear Inc., with two regional New York offices, and has offered financial support to her employees to pursue their degrees—three have competed AuD programs so far and a fourth is in progress.

"I chose to support my employees in obtaining their AuDs because I felt that ultimately having doctorate-level professionals as staff would only add value to my practice and send a strong message to other professionals and patients in the community," says Dr. Raffo. "Completing the AuD degree adds a great sense of accomplishment, refreshes your skills in many different aspects of the profession, and provides patients with a sense of excellence within the practice."

Dr. Raffo's eight-year employee, Megan McGuire, AuD, earned her degree from the University of Florida alongside her employer. The support she received was invaluable.

"The support from Chris was definitely helpful financially," says Dr. McGuire. "I had only finished my master's degree two years before and I was bogged down with student loans already. It was also a great moral support to have an employer who understood how much work the AuD involved. I was able to put into practice the things that we were learning immediately and was supported 100 percent."

Susan Bankowski Chunyk, AuD, is also funding the AuD education of an employee, Jennifer Lundgren Garcia, and sees it as a contribution to the profession. Upon Lundgren's graduation, Dr. Chunyk's Hampden Hearing Center East in East Longmeadow, MA, will be the only practice in the area staffed exclusively by Doctors of Audiology.

"It lends credibility to our practice," says Dr. Chunyk. "It shows we aspire to the highest professional standards and we are willing to take time from our personal lives to advance our education, even though we are already experienced, licensed and busy audiologists."

It demonstrates our commitment to excellence to our colleagues and to the physicians who refer to us," she adds. "As audiologists, we need to distinguish ourselves from our competitors by showing who we are and what we do. I think the AuD degree reinforces the concept that we provide comprehensive, professional hearing care."

AFA Support Plays Key Role

As audiologists around the country continue to support their employees in pursuit of the AuD, so too will the AFA continue its work on behalf of the profession. To date, the AFA has awarded over $700,000 in student scholarships, from residential students to distance education learners and school-based practitioners to those in private practice. The profession will still require this combined support, on all fronts, to further move the mountain and achieve full professional transition.

"The AFA's goal is 50 percent of the profession, and we aren't there yet," says Paarlberg. "We need 4,000 more AuDs to reach that number, and that's more than double the number we currently have. Only at that point will we feel secure that audiology will continue to evolve on its own as we've seen in other healthcare professions."

Tracy Harding is the publicity and development specialist at Audiology Foundation of America, 8 N. Third St., Suite 406, Lafayette, IN 47901; 765-743-6283. She may be reached at Tracy@audfound.org.