A black background with a decorative design celebrating a 40th anniversary. The number '40' is prominently displayed in large, gold font with the word 'Years' written in smaller, cursive gold font below it. The word 'ANNIVERSARY' is written in capital letters in gold below 'Years'. Surrounding the text are floral elements with pink flowers and green leaves, adding an elegant touch to the design.

HAVE YOU HEARD?

I thought I would take a break from reviewing the correlation between chronic health conditions and hearing loss. Previously we discussed how diabetes and hypertension can have a negative effect on the sensory organ of hearing (cochlea).  This month I want to celebrate instead. 

Forty years ago, I completed my master’s degree at The University of Denver in Audiology.  How in the world was that 40 years ago?  For almost two-thirds of my life I have been caring for others in their diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss.  I am proud to say I couldn’t think of anything else I would rather be doing.

After graduating high school from a northern suburb of Chicago, I attended the University of Iowa.  Being good at math, majoring in accounting seemed like the career path to pursue.  At Thanksgiving I came home and said what the heck am I doing.  I was always fascinated with sign language and discovered that it is audiologists that work with individuals who communicate with their hands.

Unbeknownst to me, The University of Iowa had and still has one of the best programs in communication disorders in the country.  Down the street from where I grew up was a junior high, two elementary schools and a school for children with special needs. During the summers I would come home and work at the summer camp with the hopes that one day my sign language would be good enough to work at the camp with the children that wore hearing aids and used ASL as their primary mode of communication. I think they took pity on me and finally, my third year I got to work there.  I loved it. Actually, all three years I loved working there. 

Back in the day, audiology was a master’s level degree. I was accepted to the University of Denver’s educational audiology program.  Once I had to create lesson plans and work with the children, I quickly switched to clinical audiology. What in the world was I thinking…the kids didn’t want to be there, and I for sure didn’t want to be there either.  After graduating I was not able to find a job in Denver.  I had an awful interview with an ENT physician and decided I would never work with an otolaryngologist…until I moved to North Carolina and found Dr. Peter Chikes in Concord.  

Before moving to North Carolina, my husband and I lived in Dallas.  A major hearing aid manufacturer (no longer in business) has their facility a few miles from our apartment.  It was a wonderful experience learning how hearing aids were manufactured and talking to clinics across the county, troubleshooting and solving their fitting challenges.  At that time the hearing aids were linear amplifiers and mainly custom in the ear devices or large behind-the-ear devices. 

When we decided to move to North Carolina I saw an ad in the newspaper for the office of Dr. Peter Chikes.  I called him and told him he needed me. Twenty-one wonderful years we worked together. I learned so much and he left me alone to run the audiology side of the practice. During my time at Carolina ENT, Specialist audiology became a doctoring profession.  I completed my doctoral studies in 2009.  

Not only did that experience strengthen my medical knowledge of hearing related issues, but I also learned the business side of running a clinic. During that time, hearing aids were constantly changing, advancing to programmable then to digital processing technology and now incorporating artificial intelligence. Devices continued to get smaller with the development of completely in the canal devices as well as a mini behind the ear. Not only was hearing aid technology changing but   diagnostic and fitting procedures were changing as well. Today, I would not even consider fitting hearing devices without confirming that the hearing prescription was being met by running real ear measurements.  

In 2011, I had the opportunity to open Hearing Solutions of North Carolina.  The clinic has grown to four providers with over 77 years of combined experience helping people take care of their hearing healthcare.  

If you would like more information about our services or would like to schedule an appointment, give Jamie or Taylor a call at 704-633-0023.  Be sure to visit our website at www.hearingsolutionsofnc.com and like us on Facebook. Dr. Mussler, Jane, Cheryl and I look forward to seeing you soon.