Doctor of Audiology students receive hands-on patient experience in first weeks of program at the country’s only hospital-operated facility

Doctor of Audiology student Lily Fischer surveyed the new patient carefully and listened to the history - and the problem. 

“I just feel like I'm not hearing well,” said Hala Jadallah, who had surgery on her ear decades earlier. “Maybe it’s just people talking low or something. I don't know. Do I need to change these hearing aids or update them?”

Jadallah came to the Mass Eye and Ear’s new clinic at the MGH Institute’s Sanders IMPACT Practice Center to have her hearing tested. And Fischer, a first-year student in the new doctoral program, was there helping examine Jadallah’s ears under the supervision of Dr. Anita Mepani, Senior Audiologist with Mass Eye and Ear.

“We’re going to start by putting this headband on, OK?” said Mepani, who made sure the equipment was comfortably affixed to Jadallah’s head. “You’re going to hear some soft beeps. Just raise your hand each time, even if you barely hear them.” 

Fischer and Dr. Mepani went into the next room of the testing suite and watched Jadalla’s responses through a wall window. In front of them was the assessment equipment allowing the clinicians to gauge just how damaged their patient’s hearing was. 

“Will you do masked bone after this?” asked Fischer, referring to a testing procedure meant to isolate one ear to ensure the most accurate result.

“I will,” replied Mepani. “I’m going to put an insert into the right ear, and the bone on the left so that I can quickly check air conduction through the insert, and then I’m all set up and ready to go for masking.”

“So, you’re going to do insert – just the right though?” asked Fischer, making sure she understood the next steps. 

“Yes, and then I’ll flip…” said Mepani. 

“Right to mask, the other side,” said Fischer, finishing what Mepani was going to say, evidence she was following along, and learning too. 

“It’s a way where I can get both done efficiently with TDH and inserts,” explained Mepani. 

“That makes sense,” said Fischer. 

It’s the kind of interaction students don’t usually see during their first year of audiology training, never mind their first two weeks. Then again, the new program is hands on, early on, thanks to Mass Eye and Ear’s in-house clinic on the IHP campus that just opened on Tuesday. 

“It's a definitely a big perk of this program having a connection to Mass Eye and Ear here,” said Fischer, who graduated in May from the University of Wisconsin’s with a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders. “Everything I see is real-time learning,”
Mentoring Fischer was Dr. Mepani, a nine-year veteran who will offer tutelage to IHP students along with two other audiologists when the space is utilized as the Mass Eye and Ear clinic. 

“Working with first-year students means we get an opportunity to really start from the beginning, start fresh, and learn all the new things,” said Mepani. “The students are going to get a real valuable experience here because we're going to see all different types of patients, from children to adults, work with all different devices, and all different types of hearing aids.”

That’s the idea, and a big reason the IHP is partnering with, its fellow Mass General Brigham member. Under the new program, collaboration means the IHP can use the audiology equipment and resources at Mass Eye and Ear as an instructional lab at night while Mass Eye and Ear will use the school’s facilities as a clinical satellite on Tuesdays and Fridays. 

Mass Eye and Ear has added 15 minutes to its appointments at the IPC to slow the pace down and allow students to learn.