PP903 - Audiology Awareness Among Undergraduate Communication Sciences and Disorders Students

Abstract:
Audiology is growing in demand, and more practicing audiologists are needed to provide hearing healthcare. This study will compare audiology awareness among undergraduate CSD students before and after an audiology professional presentation. A modified Audiology Knowledge Questionnaire (Emanuel et al., 2012) was administered before and after the presentation at three undergraduate universities in Kentucky. We will analyze how the frequency and timing of audiology coursework at each university CSD program impacts outcomes.

References:
Emanuel, D., Donai J., & Araj, C. (2012). The Awareness of the Profession of Audiology Among Entering College Students. American Journal of Audiology, 21(1), 41–50. https://doi.org/10.1044/1059-0889(2012/11-0033)

Summary:

Rationale:
Hearing healthcare is a growing need in the population, and many audiologists are retiring, so a shortage of audiologists is anticipated soon (Windmill & Freeman, 2013). The projected number of future audiologists will be insufficient for the hearing healthcare demands of the aging population. Audiologists and audiology students can advocate for the field by working to increase the knowledge and visibility of the profession (Harper, 2022). A common finding when studying current levels of knowledge and visibility in undergraduate students regarding careers in Audiology is a general lack of field knowledge. Emanuel et al. (2012) explored audiology awareness among new college students and found that only 17% of students reported knowing what an audiologist does and could accurately describe the audiology profession. Brodsky & Cooke (2000) found that CSD undergraduate students reported not taking enough audiology courses as part of their undergraduate CSD curriculum to form an opinion regarding audiology as a career choice.
These studies suggest that efforts to increase knowledge about careers in Audiology should occur in high school or early on in undergraduate coursework. This study aims to determine if an educational presentation aimed at undergraduate CSD majors will increase their knowledge of audiology and determine if the frequency and timing of audiology coursework influences this knowledge. In Kentucky, there are no university programs with an undergraduate and a graduate degree program in Audiology, so undergraduate exposure to the profession varies from program to program. This makes for a unique opportunity to study the impact of program variability on knowledge of the field.

Methods:
This project will employ a quasi-experimental (pre and post-survey) design. The study will collect the following information: participants' age, gender, and grade level. The study team will administer a modified Audiology Knowledge Questionnaire (Emanuel et al., 2012) pre and post-presentation. Data will be collected with pencil and paper surveys that utilize a preamble consent form. The study has been approved by the University of Louisville Institutional Review Board (IRB). The number of participants is estimated to be between 20-100 college-age (18+) students who are current or prospective CSD undergraduate students at three universities in Kentucky.

Results and

Conclusion:
Data collection will be completed by December 2023. Univariate analysis will be used to compare ratings on the Audiology Knowledge questionnaire before and after the presentation to evaluate whether the presentation significantly improved knowledge of the field. This data will be analyzed while controlling for any outlying variables such as the timing and frequency of undergraduate audiology coursework.

Brodsky, M. B., & Cooke, P.A. (2000). Influences in the Decision-Making Process for Careers As a Speech-Language Pathologist or an Audiologist. Journal of Employment Counseling, 178-189.
Emanuel, D., Donai J., & Araj, C. (2012). The Awareness of the Profession of Audiology Among Entering College Students. American Journal of Audiology, 21(1), 41–50. https://doi.org/10.1044/1059-0889(2012/11-0033) Windmill, I. M., & Freeman, B.A. (2013). Demand for audiology services: 30-year projections and impact on academic programs. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 24(5), 407–416. https://doi.org/10.3766/jaaa.24.5.7

Learning Objectives:

• Compare knowledge and attitudes about careers in audiology before and after and interactive educational presentation to undergraduate CSD students at three Kentucky colleges and universities.