Author: TJ Audiology Training

Otis the virtual patient (from Innoforce.com) can be use to practice basic audiometry and tympanometry and masking.

We use it in our classes as it is a great way of developing your skills in audiometry without having the pressure of the time or the client’s ability to focus, while getting used to the controls and techniques required. If you’re learning how to carry out masking, it is an invaluable learning and evaluation tool and your don’t need to rely on your supervisor to explain results.

Otis is a little bit like a real person, for example, your client can fall asleep if you take too long or shout if you present sounds that are too loud. You can view your otoscopy, history and tymp data as part of the assessment. There is reference data for masking and symbols.

You have real time evaluation and assessment of your procedure as you do the audiometry – it tracks your accuracy, time and errors. You can also progress from easier audiograms, to more difficult cases.

Although the ear is small in size, it is essential for hearing and balance, and problems of the ear can be linked to other conditions. Understanding the structure and function of the ear will help us to pick up problems early and improve the care of patients with ear problems.

Here’s a very helpful article published in the Nursing Times which explains about the ear and its role in hearing.

If you prefer a video explanation of the anatomy of the ear why not go to Dr Samuel Webster’s You tube page.  He is a  Senior Lecturer in Medicine (human anatomy and embryology) at Swansea University . Just look under the anatomy section, for his videos on the ear.

https://www.youtube.com/@SamWebster

Dr. Hawke is a Professor Emeritus, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto. He is known both for his basic and clinical research in diseases of the ear and sinuses. He has travelled the world extensively as an Invited Professor delivering countless lectures and seminars.

He is one of the pioneers in medical photography. His images are captured using telescopic techniques that he also helped pioneer.

We recommend that you look at his documents on the diseases of the ear as they are incredibly useful.

Michael Saunders is a UK based ENT. His images of the ear canal and drum can be found on the ENT Bristol website along with very helpful descriptions.

Dr. Terry W. Owens was a board certified ENT specialist. He describes how to examine the ear, many common ear problems, what to look for, laboratory tests, common treatments and possible prevention. The text is clear, simple and with minimal technical medical terminology. Here is a link to his photobook which will help you to understand ear diseases.

Otoscopy & Impression Taking

Our otoscopy & impression taking courses will teach you how to take impressions safely and according to the BSA recommended procedure. You will be provided with practical time and knowledge to make sure that your impression reaches the second bend of the ear canal.

We recommend that you watch our Facebook videos on Otoscopy & Impression Taking before the course.

Communication Tactics

Communicating with someone who is deaf doesn’t have to be difficult. But you do need to be patient and take the time to make sure you are communicating properly. These are some of the simple things you can do to make communication straightforward for both of you. You can download this information here.

– Even if someone is wearing hearing aids it doesn’t mean they can hear you perfectly. Ask if they need to lipread.

– If you are using communication support, always remember to talk directly to the person you are communicating with, not the interpreter.

– Make sure you have face-to-face contact with the person you are talking to.

– Get the listener’s attention before you start speaking, maybe by waving or tapping them on the arm.

– Speak clearly but not too slowly, and don’t exaggerate your lip movements – this can make it harder to lipread.

– Use natural facial expressions and gestures.

– If you’re talking to a group that includes deaf and hearing people, don’t just focus on the hearing people.

– Don’t shout. It can be uncomfortable for hearing aid users and it looks aggressive.

If someone doesn’t understand what you’ve said, don’t keep repeating it. Try saying it in a different way instead.

– Find a suitable place to talk, with good lighting and away from noise and distractions.

– Check that the person you’re talking to is following you during the conversation. Use plain language and don’t waffle. Avoid jargon and unfamiliar abbreviations.

– To make it easy to lipread, don’t cover your mouth with your hands or clothing

See more tips on the RNID website.

Glossary of Audiology Terms:

We have put together a list of some words/terminology that might be used during your course. If at anytime your course trainer uses a word/term that you don’t fully understand please do ask for the meaning – your trainer will be happy to explain. You can download this information here.

Audiologist – health care professional who is trained to evaluate hearing loss and related disorders, including balance (vestibular) disorders and tinnitus, and to rehabilitate individuals with hearing loss and related disorders. An audiologist uses a variety of tests and procedures to assess hearing and balance function and to fit and dispense hearing aids and other assistive devices for hearing.

Ear canal / external auditory meatus / external acoustic meatus (EAM) – the canal extending from the opening in the external ear (pinna) to the tympanic membrane.

Mastoid / Mastoid process – a large, bony prominence on the base of the skull behind the ear, containing air spaces that connect with the middle ear cavity

Mastoid cavity – the removal of mastoid cells (usually following infection) results in a mastoid cavity. Sometimes the mastoid cavity is left open into the ear canal.

Retraction of the eardrum – the tympanic membrane is pulled inwards by the negative pressure within the middle ear. Discrete portions (sometimes weaker areas) of the tympanic membrane that are pulled inwards are known as retraction pockets.

Exostoses of the ear (swimmers ear) – the abnormal formation of a bony growth on the ear canal.

Otitis externa – inflammation or infection of the external ear.

Cholesteatoma – A tumour-like mass of keratinizing squamous epithelium (replacing skin cells) and cholesterol, usually occurring in the middle ear and mastoid region.

Otosclerosis / Ossicular Fixation – formation of new bone about the stapes or cochlea, resulting in conductive hearing loss.

Ossicular Discontinuity / Ossicular Chain Disruption – a loss of normal alignment between the three inner ear ossicles, resulting in conductive hearing loss.

Grommet – a small tube inserted into the eardrum in cases of glue ear in order to allow air to enter the middle ear

Acute Otitis Media – a middle ear infection of abrupt onset that usually presents with ear pain.

Otitis Media with Effusion (Glue Ear, OME) – the presence of non-infectious fluid in the middle ear

Suppurative Otitis Media – middle ear inflammation that results in episodes of discharge from the ear

Tympanosclerosis– the medical term for scarring of the ear drum. Scarring occurs after the ear drum is injured or after surgery

Decibel – The decibel (dB) is a logarithmic unit that expresses the ratio of two values of a physical quantity, often power or intensity : 20 log10 p1/p0

Hello from the team at Tracy James Audiology Training!

We’ve had a fantastic start to 2022 with a couple of very successful courses taking place in January, and some wonderful feedback from those who attended.

Tracy and Louise ran a 3-day Basic Audiology and Tympanometry course from 17th-19th January with 5 delegates for the full course and another delegate joined on day 3 for the Tympanometry element.  All attendees completed the practical assessment and their homework assignment and we’re delighted to have issued them with their BSA certificates.

Here’s some feedback from that course –

“The course was run in a small group which meant there were plenty of opportunities for asking questions, doing group work, and for the tutors to address any areas that some students needed more help with.”

“An excellent course, calmly and professionally delivered in such a friendly way”.

At the end of the month Louise ran our popular Impression Taking (Adults) course. This is a 1-day course where we train people on how to undertake otoscopy and impression-taking safely (on those over 5 years) and according to BSA procedure. All 6 delegates on this course successfully completed the practical assessment on the day and their written homework, and they have been awarded their BSA certificates. Congratulations to everyone!

Feedback from this course included – “Excellent trainer, well organised, informative and lots of time too practice.”

Our next Impression Taking course is on 4th March at Newbury College and we have just one space left on this date, then we have further Impression Taking courses on 7th April and 10th June, also at Newbury College. If you’d like to book please complete this online form and a member of our team will get in touch.

We’re very excited to have some in-house courses scheduled for March, April and May which will take us beyond Berkshire to Leicester and Cardiff. In-house training is a great option for organisations that have multiple to people to train and can be offered on our Impression Taking, Surveillance Audiometry and Audiometry and Tympanometry courses. If you’d like to book an in-house course please send us an email and we’ll get back to you to discuss dates, prices etc.

In May we will be running our Surveillance Audiometry course which is a 2-day training course ideal for occupational health workers and occupational health nurses who carry out audiometry in the industry setting. We have just 2 spaces left on this popular course so if you’re interested in joining please complete our online booking form.

In early July we will be running another 3-day Audiology and Tympanometry course and we currently have 4 spaces left on this one.

We will be announcing our course dates for the rest of 2022 very soon so please check our training calendar page. 

Finally we would like to introduce the newest member of our team, Kirsteen, who joined us in 2021. Kirsteen looks after our admin and replies to all enquiries and provides information about our courses, and issues the BSA certificates. If you have any questions about our upcoming courses you can email Kirsteen  admin@tjaudiology.com