The first Audiology white coat ceremony at the Arizona School of Health Sciences honored two second-year entry-level students Amanda Teuscher and Kristin Degueyter in the four-year Doctor of Audiology program at the Mesa, Ariz.-based school.
MESA, ARIZONA (November 2003) - The Department of Audiology at the Arizona School of Health Sciences held its first-ever white coat ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 25. The ceremony honored two second-year entry-level students in the four-year Doctor of Audiology program. Kristin Degueyter and Amanda Teuscher donned their student white coats after reciting the Doctor of Audiology Oath led by Assistant Professor Rebekah Fallis Cunningham, Ph.D.
"The School's historic first Audiology white coat ceremony marked a great day for our pioneering students in the inaugural class and for the development of the residential program," said Audiology Chair Tabitha Parent-Buck, Au.D. "The growth and development of our residential program is a testament to the recruitment of high-quality students and the excellent caliber of competent and caring faculty members here at ASHS."
Jennifer Dickson, Au.D., of Phoenix, provided words of encouragement to the students about the symbolism of the white coat and the unique qualities an audiology professional brings to patient care.
"This event today is not necessarily a celebration, as much as it is an initiation into the healthcare community," explained Dr. Dickson during her keynote address. "We witness this milestone of yours and we commit to educate and guide you as you enter into your clinical rotations and you choose to accept the professionalism, responsibility and commitment expected of your service."
Dr. Dickson also is an adjunct professor in the ASHS Audiology program and a graduate of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. "Dr. Dickson graduated as part of an inaugural class in a residential Doctor of Audiology program and her insight, experience and words of guidance will help our residential students tremendously," explained Dr. Parent-Buck.
The white coats symbolize the triumph and success of completing the didactic year and the beginning of the hands-on clinical rotations while the audiology oath expresses the student's understanding of the immense responsibility, respect and honor of wearing the white coat during clinical rotations.
Also providing remarks were Arizona campus Provost Craig Phelps, D.O., FAOASM, Associate Provost and Dean of the Faculty O.T. Wendel, Ph.D., Audiology Assistant Professor Henry Trahan, Au.D., and Audiology Associate Professor Thomas Rigo, Ph.D.
The ASHS residential audiology program welcomed its first class in 2002 and currently has 10 students in their first year of study. The Department of Audiology also offers a distance education program and currently has over 420 students who are licensed audiologists completing online courses to earn their audiology doctorate. Since the program's start in 2000, there have been 463 graduates from the ASHS Audiology program.
Professional audiologists, or Doctors of Audiology, are educated in the science and management of disorders of hearing and balance. Graduates are prepared to handle the extensive scope of audiologic care including the diagnosis and management of auditory and/or vestibular system deficits for all ages, tinnitus management, hearing conservation, and neuro-audiologic examination, as well as the management and business aspects of audiology.
The Arizona School of Health Sciences is a private non-profit health professions school located on the Mesa, Arizona campus of A.T. Still University of Health Sciences. ASHS offers professional doctorates in audiology (Au.D.) and physical therapy (D.P.T.), along with Master of Science degrees in medical informatics, occupational therapy, physician assistant studies and sports health care. In addition, the Mesa Campus is also home to the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health, Arizona's first and the nation's newest dental school, offering a Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) degree with a certificate in public health. Each year over 150 students matriculate to the schools and over 500 are enrolled at any one time. For more information about the University and its schools, visit www.atsu.edu.
