As we continue to celebrate Audiology Awareness Month, we thought it was the perfect time to sit down with some of the University’s Osborne College of Audiology students and faculty members to learn more about why they chose their profession. With approximately 48 Americans having some level of hearing loss, according to the Hearing Loss Association of America, audiology is an important, growing healthcare field.
Megan Boehler ’21AUD
Q: Why did you choose to become an audiologist?
I chose audiology because I want every child to have the chance to communicate with their loved ones.
Dr. Bre Myers, assistant professor
Q: Why did you choose to become an audiologist?
In the beginning, I wanted to be in a profession that helped people maintain their ability to communicate. I love music and the phenomenon of sound. The science and physics behind sound is still very interesting to me so audiology was a good fit. Unbeknownst to me, in the beginning was this entirely different aspect of balance that fell under audiology's scope of practice. While I still love guiding patients in their journey to better hearing, my passion and main area of research and teaching focuses on our vestibular and balance system.
Q: What’s the best part about being an audiologist?
Seeing the impact in my patients' faces [is the best part]. There is no better feeling than knowing you positively affected a person or a family's life.
Marisa Fassnacht ’21AUD
Q: Why did you choose to become an audiologist?
I want to help children who may be experiencing hearing difficulties like I have [experienced] in the past. I hope to relate my story to them, so they will feel comfortable to share their worries and triumphs with me, while growing and developing with their hearing disabilities.
Dr. Victor Bray, associate professor
Q: Why did you want to become an audiologist?
In high school and college, I worked part time in healthcare services that focused on geriatric care and found that I liked the patients. After college, I worked full time with my family’s hearing aid business and found that I liked the technology, problem solving and delivering improved patient outcomes. Following this path, I took up audiology as a career.
Q: What's the best part about being an audiologist?
The best part of audiology, for me, has been the diversity of employment options. My career was focused on clinical care from 1978 through 1993 in Georgia, Alabama and Texas. By then, I had completed both my clinical master’s degree and my research doctorate degree. I transitioned to working in research and development in the hearing aid industry, working in both California and Utah. I was in industry from 1993 through 2008 and my final position included corporate management as vice president and chief audiology officer for Sonic Innovations. I then transitioned to academia and have been at Salus University since 2009, first as the Osborne College of Audiology dean for seven years, and now as full-time faculty. Over this four-decade experience, I have constantly enjoyed the people, the challenges, and the rewards of the audiology profession.
