About three months ago I attended my first Audiology conference as a doctoral student. The American Academy of Audiology hosted their annual AudiologyNow! conference in Orlando, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. It travels around the country each year; 2013 was held in California, and 2015 will be held in San Antonio, Texas. These events are typically four days, jam packed with information about current technology, research, and tips for being the best Audiologist you can be. The exhibit hall is a massive room filled everything you can imagine: hearing aid manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, supply companies, research posters, and so much more! Everyone is eager to show you the latest and greatest technology they have to offer. It is quite an experience. It is also a perfect time to network and meet Audiologists from all over the country. You never know who you might run into!
As an Audiologist, you are required to obtain a certain amount of continuing education hours every two years. This is to ensure we are up to date in our knowledge and practices. As a student, I am not required to obtain these hours since I am in school full-time. However, AudiologyNow! paired up with the Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) to offer student friendly classes, as well as some fun activities to get to know students from other programs. We had our own student-only mix and mingle and a scavenger hunt. A t-shirt contest was also hosted, and we won!
Below is a picture of my mother, Audiologist Jodi Conter, and me with KEMAR. KEMAR is an ear, head, and torso simulator used in research to improve our understanding of hearing and technology. I read about him in research papers all the time and it was exciting to meet him in person!
At the end, I was sorry to go. It was an experience of a lifetime filled with learning, meeting new people, and a lot of fun! I can’t wait until AudiologyNow! comes back to Florida again, or maybe I will just have to visit San Antonio!
