Gardner Audiology is a multi-clinic audiology practice with locations throughout Florida. Over the past several years they have partnered with six universities to take on Audiology Doctoral students in their final year of study. These students are required to have a year of supervised clinical experience in the fourth year of their doctoral programs called an Externship. Externs come to us after the completion of a four-year undergraduate degree followed by three years of rigorous academics in their respective audiology doctoral program. In these initial three years, students take multiple courses and clinical practicums, as well as earn hours working in their university’s hearing clinic where they gain their first hands-on experience in audiology.
When externs start at our practice, they have the knowledge base to accurately test and assess patients, fit hearing aids, counsel, and make appropriate recommendations. With this strong foundation in place, it is our goal to help students apply those skills learned in the academic environment to the real world. We offer guidance in those areas that cannot be learned from a text book, such as patient care and interactions, time management, and business management. In the past we have taken students from West Virginia University, Nova Southeastern, The University of South Florida (USF) and the University of Connecticut. Come May, we will be taking on three doctoral externs; one each from USF, Salus University out of Pennsylvania and Eastern Tennessee State University. Not only do these students learn from us, but they bring their new, fresh perspectives, and we learn from them as well. They challenge us! It is a wonderful opportunity that we are fortunate and thrilled to be a part of.
Our doctors of audiology combine many years of experience to provide different perspectives and methods for achieving goals that students can then incorporate into their own personal practices. All of doctors of audiology are board certified and take part in continuing education to stay up to date on the latest research and practices to share with students.
Dr. Angela Schenk, in our Citrus County offices and our newly opened Dunnellon office, has also become a certified clinical director with the Florida Special Olympics. This allows the students to have experiences outside the office, such as hearing screenings at various Special Olympics events throughout the year; both locally and state wide.
