Education
American Conference of Audioprosthology
Program Curriculum
Education of our membership is the single most important focus of IHS. The Audioprosthology (ACA) program is designed to enhance our membership’s ability to better serve the hearing impaired community. It provides an educational opportunity for those who engage in hearing aid dispensing and ensures that they practice at an advanced professional, technical, and ethical level. The ability to use the term audioprosthologist is earned, NOT purchased. An individual must complete a 13-month course and a subsequent practicum prior to being granted this privilege. This academic program has been determined to be equivalent to 15 semester hours of upper level baccalaureate credit by the American Council on Education (ACE) College Credit Recommendation Service. ACE will only evaluate courses of study that are comparable to the learning offered at the college level in terms of course content, learning methods, and assessment procedures. Over 1500 academic institutions accept the ACE credit recommendations. In our field, Spokane Falls Community College and Arkansas State University-Mountain Home have provided advanced standing for ACA graduates, accepted all ACA credits, and granted an automatic one-third fulfillment toward the requirements for the two-year associate's degree in hearing instrument sciences.
For further information on ACE, click here.
The ACA educational program contains five courses structured to conform to a semester-hour format common to universities. Each of the five courses is held over three two-day sessions (weekends) for a total of 42 classroom hours per course. The core faculty consists of individuals with extensive knowledge and experience in the academic and/or business world. It is the core faculty’s responsibility to teach the courses in the ACA program, evaluate student performance and attainment of learning objectives, make suggestions about additional faculty, periodically review curriculum, and make recommendations for curriculum revisions in light of new knowledge, methodologies, and advancements in hearing aid engineering. Each course is described below.
Hearing Science (301)
Course Description: This course introduces the ACA student to the scientific foundations of sound and hearing with emphasis on examples relevant to practicing audioprosthologists. It emphasizes the practical applications of science to persons with hearing loss through lecture, reading assignments, and class discussion. The goals of this course are to provide an understanding of: 1) the generation and measurement of sound and vibration; 2) the impact of otopathology on the normal anatomy and physiology of the auditory and vestibular systems; and 3) psychoacoustic principles in normal and hearing impaired listeners.
Course Objective: To apply the principle aspects of sound; basic principles of anatomy and physiological structures of the auditory and vestibular mechanism in humans and pathologies of the auditory and vestibular system.
ACE Credit Recommendation: Lower division baccalaureate degree category, 3 semester hours in Introduction to Hearing Science.
Introduction to Audioprosthology Management (302)
Course Description: This course focuses on the practice management issues of effective professional communication, continuous process quality improvement, and the legal responsibilities associated with the audioprosthology profession. The emphasis is on learning which is relevant and timely to practicing audioprosthologists. The goals of this course are to: 1) provide training in effective, professional office management, including inter-personal communication (verbal and written), patient file management (including medical records organization), quality assurance considerations, and marketing; and 2) provide an understanding of the legal issues and responsibilities of audioprosthology practice management, including the laws and regulations involving people with hearing loss and the hearing aid industry.
Course Objective: To understand practice management strategies as they relate to patient needs, marketing approaches, and legal aspects of business practices.
Course Credit: Upper division baccalaureate degree category, 3 semester hours in Audioprosthology Practice Management.
Audiology (401)
Course Description: This course prepares the ACA student to practice auditory assessments at a higher level of professionalism and expertise far beyond entry-level requirements. Class readings, lectures, and discussions focus on the evidence-based procedures developed for the effective and efficient measurement of auditory sensitivity and the application of that information to ameliorating the hearing loss through amplification. The goals of this course are to: 1) provide training in clinical patient management as it pertains to: a) pure tone audiometry and immittance and b) hearing instrument selection and verification; and 2) to understand the intrinsic relationships among language, speech and hearing.
Course Objective: To demonstrate a working knowledge of auditory assessment, auditory diagnosis, principles of pure tone and speech audiometry, hearing aid assessment and effective communication techniques for people with hearing loss.
Course Credit: Upper division baccalaureate degree category, 3 semester hours in Principles of Audiology.
Principles of Hearing Aids and Aural Rehabilitation (402)
Course Description: This course prepares the ACA student to practice auditory rehabilitation at a higher level of professionalism and expertise far beyond entry-level requirements. Class readings, lectures, role-play, and discussions focus on the evidence-based procedures developed for the effective and efficient amelioration of hearing loss through amplification. The goals of this course are to provide: 1) knowledge for the application of the processes of auditory habilitation and rehabilitation; 2) an understand the acoustic attributes of hearing aids, the measurement of their performance, and the effects of coupler modifications in transferring sound to the human ear; and 3) techniques for the application of a variety of hearing aid validation/verification techniques.
Course Objective: To apply principles of audiological rehabilitation for children and adults with hearing loss including selection and fitting of hearing aids and assistive listening devices; apply principles of self assessment of hearing loss and assessment of hearing aid satisfaction in children and adults; use of speech reading and communication strategies to improve communication.
Course Credit: Upper division baccalaureate degree category, 3 semester hours in Principles of Hearing Aids and Aural Rehabilitation.
Practicum (403)
Course Description: This course requires the ACA student to apply the practice management, hearing assessment, hearing aid evaluation, selection, fitting, measurement, and troubleshooting skills enhanced as a result of the four required courses in their offices with their own patients. Their previous class readings, lectures, role-playing, discussions, and assessment feedback focused on the evidence-based procedures developed for the effective and efficient amelioration of hearing loss through amplification. The goal of this course is for each audioprosthology student to produce an integrated clinical portfolio that demonstrates attainment of the competencies expected from each previous course individually.
Course Objective: To enhance clinical skills and knowledge for assessing hearing loss for the evaluation, selection and fitting of hearing instruments and post-fitting care.
Course Credit: Upper division baccalaureate degree category, 3 semester hours in Clinical Practicum.
Course Requirements
Attendance: Students are required to attend all classes. Absences must be approved by the instructor in advance. If a student needs to be absent for any one of the 13 two-day sessions, that student will be required to submit an extra assignment and to pass any examinations given for that learning session. If a student needs to be absent for any two-day session, that entire session must be taken at another venue in its entirety and a grade of 70% or better must be earned.
Class Assignments: Each student must complete all class assignments with a grade of 70% or better. Students are expected to have all required texts available to them. Recommended texts are optional and provide supplemental, not required, information.
Grading: All courses require a minimum grade of 70% to pass that class. Failure requires that the course be repeated.
Transcripts
Official transcripts are available to each student who completes the ACA through the ACE Transcript Service in Washington, DC. You can contact the ACE transcript department at (202) 939 – 9434.
Trademark
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted Trademark protection to the American Conference of Audioprosthology, and to ACA.
Comments
IHS is firmly committed to promoting the provision of the highest quality services to the hearing impaired community by, in part, providing quality educational opportunities to its members. The Audioprosthology program is an excellent example of this commitment. Simply stated, the program trains hearing health professionals to better care for those in need of hearing help.
