Module overview
The purpose of this module is to provide you with an introductory grounding in audiology, including adult diagnostic assessment, rehabilitation and otology, underpinned by theoretical knowledge and understanding. You will also develop skills in integrating clinical findings, drawing conclusions and making recommendations. It will allow you to develop a critical understanding of audiological techniques. The psychological, social and emotional impacts of hearing and balance problems are also highlighted in this module, with an emphasis on patient-centered communication and shared decision-making. This module will also develop your employability skills.
The module also develops your pre-clinical practical skills in a range of audiological assessment and rehabilitation techniques with non-clinical populations using our in-house skills laboratory and audiology clinic. You must attend all on-campus practical learning and assessment sessions when taking this module. You will also be required to attend all 'preparation for placement' sessions to ensure you are ready to start clinical placement in Part 2 of the programme.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Explain and critically evaluate the application of person-centred care and evidence-based practice in clinical audiology to a range of scenarios as well as the factors influencing its effectiveness, including the principles of joint identifying individual need, shared decision making, joint goal setting and supporting self-management, the application of various counselling approaches and the psychological factors that may influence patients’ engagement in, and success with, the rehabilitation process.
- Explain and critically evaluate the theoretical basis, clinical context and clinical application of a range of standard audiology techniques for the assessment of the ear and hearing for adults with reference to the evidence base and relevant profession and technical standards.
- Demonstrate mastery of effective self-directed learning and scientific communication.
- Demonstrate basic competence in several audiological techniques with non-clinical populations and clinically realistic scenarios with respect to profession and technical standards, including showing effective patient-centred communication and care, effective technical and manual skills, professionalism, decision-making and problem-solving skills, and identifying the need for onward referral, in preparation for starting clinical placement. Specifically: otoscopy, pure-tone audiometry with and without masking, aural impressions, real-ear measurements and several rehabilitative techniques.
- Demonstrate effective clinical reasoning skills in adult audiological assessment, including during the planning of assessment strategy, carrying out the assessment procedure, critically evaluating assessment results and determining what further action is needed. It involves reference to appropriate evidence, including clinical guidance and research studies.
- Describe the epidemiology and pathophysiology of a range of disorders affecting the auditory system as well as their medical diagnosis and medical and surgical treatment options
- Demonstrate an effective (including an accurate, ethical, compelling and professional) account of your knowledge, skills, competencies, values and aspirations as if to potential relevant future employers.
Syllabus
Clinical science
>Types of hearing loss
>Pathologies of the external, middle and inner ears, their differential diagnosis and their medical/surgical treatments
>The direct clinical examination of the ear
>The principles and underpinning techniques of the clinical assessment of the auditory system via air and bone-conduction and associated challenges (including cross-hearing and sources of noise)
>Subjective assessment of hearing in adults (including applied aspects of psychoacoustics)
>Objective assessment of the middle and inner ears, auditory nerve and central auditory processes of adults
Clinical application
>Professional and technical standards (including British Society of Audiology recommended procedures and guidelines, British Academy of Audiology guidelines and international standards for calibration)
>Deaf awareness training (including recognising and understanding the impact of hearing loss, communication tactics, deaf community and culture)
>Person-centred communication
>Clinical report writing and note taking
>Pure-tone audiometry with and without masking
>Tympanometry and acoustic reflex testing
>Otoacoustic emissions and auditory brainstem evoked responses
>Aural impression taking
>Hearing aid testing in test box
>Digital hearing aid prescription and programming
>Real-ear measurement
Clinical integration
>The integration of assessment results to identify hearing loss, to establish the magnitude of the hearing loss, the site of lesion and the impact on the patient’s life, and to guide management
>The application of person-centred care and evidence-based practice in clinical audiology to a range of scenarios as well as the factors influencing its effectiveness
Clinical practice (pre-clinical skills you will learn on-campus)
>Person-centred communication (summatively assessed)
>Otoscopy (summatively assessed)
>Pure-tone audiometry with and without masking (summatively assessed)
>Tympanometry and acoustic reflex testing (summatively assessed)
>Aural impression taking (summatively assessed)
>Real-ear measurement (summatively assessed)
>Rehabilitative techniques (summatively assessed)
Employability
>Exploring UK and international labour markets
>Applications (including CV and personal statement writing) and interview skills
Placement preparation
> Expectations of you, your placement provider, the University and other relevant parties during your placement, such as described in the placement handbook, available from www.southampton.ac.uk/engineering/audiology-placements.page
> The professional expectations of you during placement, including fitness to practice and the expectations of your professional body (standards, conduct, performance and ethics)
> The policies and procedures governing placement, the placement processes and how you will be supported, trained and assessed on placement
> Refresher of basic clinical skills including communication skills that are relevant for real-time, person centered clinical practice
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include:
- Flipped learning
- Tutorials, including discussion of ethnographic videos to support your learning of patient-centered communication
- Individual and group work on formative tasks
- Practical sessions for clinical skills (small group work with one tutor per group)
- Demonstrations
- Observations of clinical practice, if available
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Tutorial | 30 |
| Assessment tasks | 60 |
| Demonstration | 10 |
| Practical classes and workshops | 30 |
| Preparation for scheduled sessions | 50 |
| Wider reading or practice | 80 |
| Lecture | 40 |
| Total study time | 300 |
Assessment
Assessment strategy
This is a core module. You must pass all pass-fail components of assessment and the module overall; you do not have to pass each %-bearing component of assessment. For the practical assessments, which are called Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), you must pass each OSCE individually in order to pass that component of assessment overall.
You will only refer on components you didn’t pass at first or for the OSCEs at remedial attempt. This includes OSCEs such that you only refer in the individual OSCEs that you did not pass at first or remedial attempt.
If you only refer on pass-fail components of assessment (including the OSCEs), your module mark will not be capped at 50%. If you need to refer on a %-bearing component of assessment, your module mark will be capped at 50% as per standard university policy.
If you need to repeat the module, you can carry over components of assessment you passed already (first time or at remedial attempt or referral); all other components of assessment must be repeated. You must have passed all individual OSCEs at first attempt or remedial attempt or referral for the OSCE component to be carried over to a repeat year. If not, you will have to take all OSCEs again. If you can carry over the OSCE component, you can repeat the year internally or externally. If not, you must repeat the year internally in order to repeat all practical sessions and OSCEs.
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Assessment | 50% |
| Assessment | 50% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Assessment | 50% |
| Assessment | 50% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Assessment | 50% |
| Assessment | 50% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External