AuD Technical Standards

Audiology Technical Standards

• Communicate effectively with individuals and groups in person, by phone, and in written form while considering the communication needs and cultural values of the listener at a level that will support competent professional practice.
• Communicate proficiently in oral and written English.
• Communicate professionally, effectively, and legibly to meet demands required as part of coursework and during clinical work to ensure patient safety (e.g., scholarly papers, medical records, clinical reports, standardized assessment).
• Perceive and demonstrate appropriate non-verbal communication for culture and context.
• Convey information accurately with relevance and cultural sensitivity.
• Possess sufficient speech/vocal productions for the provision of clinical services.

• Sustain necessary physical activity levels in the required classroom and clinical activities for the defined workday.
• Efficiently manipulate testing and treatment environments, materials, and equipment to complete screening and evaluation protocols and treatment and behavior plans.
• Access technology and equipment for clinical management (e.g., billing, charting, therapy programs), diagnostic testing, and treatment protocols.
• Negotiate patient/client care environments and move between settings such as the classroom, health care facility, educational setting, and community settings.
• Access transportation to attend academic courses and clinical placements.
• Use fine motor skills to perform procedures involving the outer ear and speech mechanisms (e.g., ear canal impressions, otoscopy, hearing aid fittings, oral mechanism exams, swallowing protocols).
• Safely manipulate patient-utilized equipment (e.g., durable medical equipment to include AAC devices, hearing aids).
• Provide a safe environment for others when responding to emergency situations (e.g., fire, choking, or other medical emergencies) and in the application of universal precautions.

• Comprehend, retain, integrate, synthesize, infer, evaluate, and apply large amounts of written and verbal information in a short period of time sufficient to meet curricular and clinical demands.
• Read, comprehend, record, and interpret information accurately from diagnostic tests, equipment, and patient records to formulate a diagnosis, develop a treatment plan, make independent clinical decisions, and ensure patient safety.
• Generate discipline-specific documents and clinical reports in English.
• Seek relevant case information, synthesize, and apply concepts and information from various sources and disciplines.
• Analyze and solve problems, reason, and make sound clinical judgments in patient assessment, diagnostic, and therapeutic planning and implementation.
• Accurately identify and communicate limits in one’s own professional knowledge and skills and utilize resources to increase knowledge and skills.
• Use technology to meet requirements of courses and practicum (e.g., internet access, learning management systems, electronic health records).

• Visually and auditorily identify normal and disordered characteristics in the areas of semantics, pragmatics, syntax, morphology, phonology, swallowing, cognition, balance, hearing, and social interaction related to communication.
• Observe patients’ activity and behavior accurately during assessment and treatment procedures.
• Visually monitor client/patient responses and materials.
• Identify and discriminate anatomic structures and imaging findings (e.g., otoscopy, oral mechanism exam, MBSS, FEES).
• Discriminate text, numbers, tables, and graphs associated with diagnostic instruments and tests.
• Accurately monitor, through both visual and auditory modalities, materials and equipment used for assessment and treatment of patients.
• Recognize and interpret when a client’s family/caregiver does or does not understand the clinician’s written and/or verbal communication.

• Comply with administrative, legal, and regulatory policies, including upholding the ASHA Code of Ethics.
• Demonstrate respect for individual, social, and cultural differences in fellow students, faculty, staff, patients, and patients’ families during clinical and academic interactions.
• Maintain adequate physical and mental health and self-care such that the health and safety of self and others in the academic and clinical settings is not jeopardized.
• Maintain adequate physical and mental health and self-care to access and participate in a variety of educational and clinical settings/activities.
• Develop and maintain professional relationships with clients/patients, fellow students, and colleagues.
• Demonstrate flexibility and the ability to adapt to changing situations and uncertainty (which includes maintaining a professional demeanor and emotional health) in academic, clinical, and community settings.
• Conduct oneself in a mature, empathetic, and effective professional manner by exhibiting compassion, honesty, integrity, professionalism, and concern for others in an ethical and legal manner in all interactions and situations.
• Maintain regular attendance and meet responsibilities within designated timelines.
• Manage time effectively to complete professional and technical tasks within constraints.
• Accept feedback (e.g., suggestions, constructive criticism) and modify behavior accordingly.
• Maintain appropriate and professional appearance for varied clinical and academic environments.

Disabilities