Eleventh Observation 11-15-07

For this week, I'm posting links to similar articles from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and ASHA. These articles are a run down of the audiology profession. They describe the training, job outlook, earnings, and so on. These are nice references and also good motovation when you're thinking about all the hard work ahead of you.

ASHA article would seem to be more accurate since they have a greater focus on audiology than the national government would. For instance the ASHA article says faster than average job growth while the Gov't website says average. Also, the ASHA has earnings divided between doctoral level audiologists versus the lesser degrees. Bigger bucks $$, I think we all atleast would rather agree with ASHA's website.

Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos085.htm

ASHA: http://www.asha.org/students/professions/overview/audiology.htm

Enjoy the articles!

Tenth Observation 11-7-07

The following is an article comparing NIHL between elementary music teachers, high school band directors, and vocal/choir directors. The article brought to my attention that some band rooms achieve dB levels above working conditions that require noise protection. Therefore, some musical members are exposed to these conditions without hearing protection. The study took in account the age differences of the subjects as well as exposure from experience. Many of the subjects were susceptible to presbycusis. In summary of the article, they found the levels of noise exposure to be higher than acceptable, they believe the exposure compounds presbycusis rather than causes NIHL. It is a pretty neat article, not a bad read.

Cutietta, R.A., Klich, R.J., Royse, D., & Rainbolt, H. (1994). The incidence of noise-induced hearing loss among music teachers. Journal of Research in Music Education, 42 (4), 318-330. Retrieved November, 19, 2007, from JSTOR.

Ninth Observation 10-31-07

I found this cool article on stimulating the vestibular system of infants and its affect and effect on motor development. The study used sinusoidal waves as stimulation as well as spinning in a rotating chair. The results were significant for the testers. Furthermore, oblivious to the study groups, parents and day care providers noticed a difference and reported so in a survey. For example, twins within the study were split ; one going to a control group and one going to the experimental group. The one in the experimental group was sitting up before the twin of the control group. The results of the study lead them to believe the stimulation matures the vestibular system quicker, which in turn, allows motor movements dependent of the maturation to develop faster. Example, hand to mouth coordination.

Clark, D.L., Kreutzberg, J.R., Chee, F.K.W. (1976). Vestibular stimulation influence on motor development in infants. Science, 196 (4295), 1228-1229. Retrieved November, 18, 2007, from JSTOR database.

Eighth Observation 10-24-07

I found a short and sweet article about cerumen management using the Water Pik. The Water Pik is a dental device that shoots a fine stream of water to achieve a similar effect of flossing. Audiologist and otoligist can use the Water Pik to break free the cerumen in the EAC. The Water Pik allows the user to change water pressure intensities. This feature allows just enough pressure as needed to break the cerumen off the walls of the EAC. This article is from the mid 70's, but i believe it still applies to today's clinical audiology.

Laren, G. (1976). Removing cerumen with a Water Pik. The American Journal of Nursing, 76 (2), 264-265. Retrieved November, 18, 2007, from JSTOR database.