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Academic programs, class sizes, and obstacles to growth in audiology
Journal of the American Academy of Audiology
|June 7, 2013
Summary
Academic audiology programs face challenges in expanding class sizes due to limited clinical placements and funding. Revising regulations and increasing interest in the audiology profession are crucial for future workforce needs.
Area of Science:
- Audiology education
- Healthcare workforce development
Background:
- The number of academic audiology programs has halved in 25 years, raising concerns about future audiologist availability.
- Calls for further program reductions persist, despite potential impacts on the audiology workforce.
- The capacity of existing audiology programs to admit more students remains a key question.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the effect of audiology program closures on graduate numbers.
- To identify barriers preventing audiology programs from increasing their student intake.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of historical audiology program class size data from the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders.
- Comparative analysis of audiology class sizes with other health professions to identify growth trends.
Main Results:
- Limited availability of clinical experiences is a primary obstacle to program expansion, hindering meeting licensure and certification requirements.
- Insufficient financial resources to support expanded didactic and clinical teaching needs for larger classes present a significant barrier.
Conclusions:
- Revision of certification regulations and licensure laws is recommended to remove barriers impacting academic programs and students.
- The audiology profession should advocate for changes in Medicare regulations to permit alternative supervision models.
- Audiology programs require greater flexibility in pedagogical approaches and financial strategies.
- A coordinated effort is necessary to boost interest in audiology as a career path.
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