MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. (June 23, 2003) - Arkansas State University Mountain Home (ASUMH) will become the only two-year school in the country to offer an online hearing healthcare degree. The program will be launched in the fall 2003. The school is already one of only two schools in the U.S. to offer the hearing healthcare associate of applied science degree to on-campus students.
"We are really excited about this opportunity and believe we can really make a difference in giving students the resources they need to join this growing industry," said Dr. Pat Bailey, Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs at ASUMH. "This new online program will give students more flexibility in balancing their studies, their work commitments and their family obligations."
According to Bailey, the completion of this two-year program will prepare graduates for an entry-level position in a profession in desperate need of qualified practitioners. As the baby boomer generation nears retirement, the demand will only continue to increase.
"Roughly 20 percent of active [hearing instrument] dispensers in the state of Arkansas are looking for trained professionals to work in their offices right now," said Scott Whitaker, Chair, Arkansas Board of Hearing Instrument Dispensers. "We see the same trend across the nation as well. Everyone who I talk to about the ASUMH program is very excited at the possibility of having another avenue to obtain trained, energetic individuals like the ones that we have graduating from this program."
Gary Pearson, president of the Arkansas Hearing Society, supported Whitaker's comments about the need for more qualified practitioners: "People in the hearing profession are very excited about this program because there is such a shortage of qualified individuals in the profession at the present time."
In addition, the pay is attractive to both students right out of high school and individuals desiring a career change. According to industry experts, starting salaries generally range from 28,000 to 38,000 dollars. These positions afford the practitioner the chance to work in a health-related field, while still keeping traditional office hours.
Hearing healthcare practitioners provide services and information to the public concerning hearing loss, its effect on their lives and the benefits of improved hearing. The practitioner is also responsible for conducting hearing evaluations, selecting the proper hearing instruments, counseling the patient and making appropriate referrals to other professionals.
The two-year associate of applied science in hearing healthcare degree began in the fall of 2001. Students completing the program are qualified to sit for the licensure exam in their respective states. Graduates from the inaugural class completed their studies this spring and sat for their licensure exams on Saturday, June 7.
ASU Mountain Home, a branch of ASU Jonesboro, was established in 1995 and is one of Arkansas' newest two-year colleges. Despite its relatively brief existence, ASUMH already boasts an enrollment of more than 1,200 students. Nestled in the beautiful Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, Mountain Home is located near the Arkansas-Missouri border and nearly 90 miles from Branson, MO. For more information, contact ASUMH at (870) 508-6100 or visit asumh.edu.
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For more information:
Karen Heslep
(870) 508-6109
ASU Mountain Home Launches Online Healthcare Degree Program
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