"Our goal is to give students who are the future of our profession a forum in which they can experience the kind of knowledge sharing and professional interaction that they may have limited access to in academic or preceptor settings," said Don Schum, PhD, Oticon's Vice President of Audiology and Professional Relations who developed the US summer camp program. "Oticon summer camps provide a broad range of lecture and workshop materials designed to supplement and complement the education that students receive in their university programs."
Highlights of this year's Eriksholm summer camp included sessions on "Collecting Insights" by the Ida Institute that featured discussion of fostering better understanding of the human dynamics associated with hearing loss and the newest practical tools to facilitate patient-centered care. Joel Beilin, Senior Director of Audiology and Algorithms at Oticon A/S presented "Trends in Audiology." Summer camp participants also enjoyed a rare look behind-the-scenes at Oticon's research capabilities and the ways in which the researchers, scientists and audiologists at the Eriksholm Research Centre apply the newest research findings to develop innovative hearing solutions.
Among the highlights of the US summer program were presentations by guest faculty members Brian Kreisman, PhD of Towson University and Eileen Rall, AuD of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia that focused on developing core counseling skills and the key elements of managing pediatric patients. Therese Velde, AuD of the Ida Institute introduced camp participants to the newest motivational tools developed by the non-profit organization. Dr. Schum discussed the use of patient variability to enhance the fitting process and management of patients from special hearing populations.
At both camp sessions, Oticon audiologists and trainers rounded off participants' summer camp experience with a variety of hands-on workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions.
"We are all in the profession for the same reason: we want people to live full, actives lives in which their hearing loss is not an issue", says Husmita Ratanjee, Audiologist and International Trainer at Oticon A/S who developed the Eriksholm camp curriculum. "Oticon summer camps challenge the newest generation of hearing care professionals to think about and discuss how to use the research, knowledge and technology we have at our disposal to achieve this shared goal."
For more information on Oticon visit oticonusa.com. Or you can visit the Oticon Web Channel on Audiology Online.
