Learn or Burn
Advanced education and training should be a high priority for the individual healthcare practitioner as well as the hearing healthcare profession at large. This plenary session focuses on the importance of expanding your knowledge and skill base and demonstrates why a commitment to building your professional credentials is critical for survival and success in today’s climate.
Panel includes all members of the International Institute for Hearing Instruments Studies and the President of the National Board for Certification in Hearing Instrument Sciences.
Basic Masking: Explanation and Procedure
The proper use of masking is essential in hearing testing if accurate hearing thresholds, appropriate medical referrals and correct fitting are to result. This presentation illustrates when masking should be used, what type of masking is recommended, and more.
Wayne Staab, PhD -
President
Dr. Wayne J. Staab & Associates
Best Practices in Cerumen Management
Presents an explanation of the outer ear structure as well as the five basic methods utilized in removal of ear wax. Also addresses the importance of not practicing cerumen management unless professional liability insurance is current.
Alan Lowell, BC-HIS, ACA - President
Alan Lowell Seminars, Inc.
and
Luis Valdes, MD, BC-HIS
Hearing Healthcare Practitioner
When Listening Environments Collide with Digital Technology
Defines some of the real-world listening environment problems and examines why working parameters of the modern digital hearing aid don’t always match the patient’s needs. Reviews hearing assistive technologies and BlueTooth communication devices and how they can be interfaced with digital hearing aids.
Jay Thurman, BC-HIS -
Owner
Hearing Resources
The Perception of Sound
Psychoacoustic (subjective) experiences are the only true indications of how the overall hearing mechanism responds to sound. This presentation shows that many current hearing tests and hearing aid fittings are better understood when considering both the objective and subjective aspects of sound.
Wayne Staab, PhD -
President
Dr. Wayne J. Staab & Associates
Compression, Directional Microphones & Digital Noise Reduction
Hearing aids today have a two-fold task: to improve audibility and increase signal-to-noise ratio. This session covers the many aspects of compression in hearing aids, followed by a discussion of directional microphones and digital noise reduction technologies.
Ted Venema, PhD -
HIS Program Coordinator
Conestoga College
Hearing Healthcare and The Age Boom
Hearing healthcare professionals will need to evaluate and plan how best to provide for the profoundly-influential Baby Boom generation. This seminar “crystal balls” a future that will be significantly impacted by our exploding age boom.
Douglas Lewis, PhD -
President
Excalibur Business Consultants
Beyond Audiometrics: Building a “Tool Box” for Fitting Success
Hearing instrument fitting can be greatly enhanced by implementing a set of tools beyond the conventional tests most often used. Maximize your fitting effectiveness by utilizing these tools to target the different communication styles and needs of your patients.
Roxann Bonta - Hearing Instrument Specialist
Counseling Adjustments for Advanced Technology
Needs assessment profiles are increasingly important in fitting hearing aids. This seminar reviews several questionnaires available for office use. Discover how technological innovations affect traditional hearing aid counseling methods.
Joel Mynders, BC-HIS -
Hearing Instrument Specialist
A.P. Mynders & Associates
Top Ten Reasons for Hearing Aid Delight
Outlines the Hearing Industries Association’s research into the unparalleled advances in device technology and the professional practice. Discusses elements of the process that “delighted” consumers for successful use of hearing aids in their journey to better hearing.
Carole Rogin -
Executive Director
Hearing Industries Association
Common Clinical Encounters
Describes ten commonly misunderstood clinical phenomena and explains how this knowledge can be applied to counseling patients and selecting appropriate amplification for optimal patient outcome management.
Ted Venema, PhD -
HIS Program Coordinator
Conestoga College
Psychology of Changing Attitudes, Beliefs and Expectations
Focuses on the “how-to” of changing attitudes, beliefs, and expectations. Offers practical methods to combat patients’ reluctance to acknowledge a hearing problem, misconceptions about the help a hearing aid can provide, and overall resistance to using a hearing device.
Russell Jones, BC-HIS -
Owner
Russell Hearing Aids
Speech Mapping
Demonstrates how quick and easy it is to use speech mapping to validate fittings for increased patient satisfaction and fewer returns. Also includes simple methods to check functionality of the high-end features on digital instruments.
Chris Stokes-Rees -
Technical Specialist
Audioscan/Etymonic Design
