Detroit — Henry Ford Health System and Wayne State University (WSU) have reached a new affiliation agreement designed to enhance clinical training of audiology students in a hospital setting.
The 5-year contract creates an academic partnership between Wayne State’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and Henry Ford’s Division of Audiology in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
As part of the agreement, Wayne State students enrolled in the 4-year Doctor of Audiology (AuD) program will have the opportunity to apply their classroom learning to patient care in thei
r first year, as well as have formal clinical training at Henry Ford Hospital during their second year in the program.
Through this enhanced program, Henry Ford also will arrange clinical placement opportunities for students at cooperating clinical facilities and hospitals throughout the country.
The agreement also calls for the two sides to collaborate in the design, development, and staffing of a University Audiology Clinic in an existing facility on Wayne State’s campus. The on-campus clinic, funded in part by the Carls Foundation, will offer first-year students clinical experience, under the supervision of Henry Ford audiology staff.
Wayne State currently has a total of 40 audiology students enrolled in its 4-year degree program, 10 students for each year of the program.
Under the new agreement, students will be trained by Henry Ford experts to evaluate and manage hearing and balance problems in newborns, children, and adults. Students also will have a very diverse audiology training experience at Henry Ford, from hearing aids and cochlear implant evaluations to infant hearing screenings and tinnitus management.
Each year, Henry Ford’s Division of Audiology manages more than 15,000 patient visits, including audiometric evaluations, auditory evoked potential examinations, balance function tests, and hearing aid fitting and dispensing.
SOURCE: Henry Ford Health System and Wayne State University
