MEI-CMU Audiology Day: Enhancing interprofessional education for future audiologists

Farmington Hills, MI [09/23/2024] — The Michigan Ear Institute (MEI) and Central Michigan University (CMU) Audiology program proudly announce the successful completion of the MEI-CMU Audiology Day, an interprofessional education event designed to provide third-year audiology students with hands-on and observational experiences in ear and cochlear implant surgeries. 

Participants in this unique event included third-year Au.D. students, CMU faculty, and MEI neurotologists involved in the education and care of cochlear implant and vestibular patients. The day featured live surgical observations, review of pre-recorded ear surgeries with expert surgeons, and a hands-on experience inserting an osseointegrated device and a cochlear implant into a model ear. Students also explored the anatomy of the ear under the microscope in a temporal bone lab.

As part of the experience, students toured the MEI clinic, which included a demonstration of the state-of-the-art Omniax chair and an introduction to the Fyzical vestibular clinic. These components highlighted the importance of interprofessional collaboration between neurologists and audiologists in providing comprehensive patient care.

"Interprofessional training, like the MEI-CMU Audiology Day, is vital to the growth and development of our students. By collaborating with experts in neurotology, our students gain a deeper understanding of how these professions work together to provide comprehensive care. This hands-on experience not only sharpens their clinical skills but also fosters the teamwork necessary to deliver exceptional patient outcomes. Our patients, in turn, benefit from a more integrated and seamless approach to their care, ensuring that they receive the highest quality treatments and support from a well-rounded team of professionals," said Nicole M. Ferguson, Au.D., Director of Clinical Services and Instruction in Audiology and CMU.

CMU’s on-campus audiology clinic serves approximately 3,000 patients annually from central and northeastern Michigan, offering hearing evaluations, hearing aids, cochlear implant evaluation, mapping, and troubleshooting, as well as vestibular evaluations. The CMU doctoral audiology program, established in 1998, is the longest-standing in the U.S., with over 250 graduates to date.

“The Virtual-Collaborative Model of Auditory Implant Care combines the surgical expertise of MEI and the audiological expertise of CMU to provide patients with the highest quality of auditory implant care in a convenient and efficient manner.  MEI-CMU Audiology Day allows the surgeons and audiologists at MEI and CMU to meet face-to-face to determine best practices for patients with hearing loss.  It also provides audiologists with an immersive understanding of auditory implant surgery through live-streaming, surgical videos, temporal bone models, and hands-on workstations to allow them to better counsel patients about their auditory implant journey,” said Robert Hong, M.D., Ph.D., Partner and Director of Research at Michigan Ear Institute.

Michigan Ear Institute specializes in treating ear and skull base disorders and is the largest ear institute in the country. With 9 otolaryngologists and 18 audiologists, MEI performs over 3,500 ear surgeries and handles more than 35,000 patient visits annually. MEI is also home to the nation’s largest neurotology fellowship program and a dedicated clinical research team that helps train ENT residents and audiology students from across Michigan.

The partnership between CMU Audiology and MEI spans more than 25 years, providing externship opportunities and shared care for patients with ear disease. One-third of the current audiologists at MEI are graduates of the CMU audiology program. This long-standing collaboration has also resulted in the development of the Virtual Collaborative Model of Auditory Implant Care, a groundbreaking program incorporating telemedicine to deliver cochlear implant care. This model reduces travel time for patients while giving them access to surgical expertise and advanced cochlear implant technology at MEI, paired with the audiological expertise of CMU. “It is always a pleasure to have CMU Audiology Externs at Michigan Ear Institute.  As a fast-paced neurotology clinic, externs will always have a better experience at MEI when they have a solid foundation to build on. Our patients present with a wide array of otologic disorders.  Central Michigan Audiology students come to the clinic confident and ready because of their university clinic experience and local placements.  We always enjoy having graduate students as they are armed with the most current clinical practices and challenge the staff to be the best we can be,” commented Rachel Beckley, Au.D., MEI Student Coordinator and CMU Audiology Doctoral Alumnus-Class of 2005. 

Interprofessional education, such as that provided by the MEI-CMU partnership, helps students develop the skills to work effectively within interprofessional teams by cultivating awareness and respect for other healthcare professions. This collaborative approach not only reduces gaps in patient care but also minimizes the potential for clinical errors and redundant services. The broader community also benefits from improved access to specialized medical care for ear pathology, resulting in better patient outcomes.

MEI’s mission is to provide the highest quality, dignified care for patients while advancing medical research and education in ear diseases. The partnership with CMU supports this mission on multiple levels by fostering relationships with the next generation of audiologists and educating them about the comprehensive services MEI offers to patients with hearing loss. The success of this collaboration has already led to new initiatives, such as the Virtual Collaborative Model of Auditory Implant Care, which continues to enhance patient care through innovative solutions.

Brittany Richmond, CMU Doctor of Audiology graduate student and President of CMU Student Academy of Audiology said, “MEI Day helped me feel more confident talking to patients about the possibility of surgery and the small devices that may be used during those surgeries. It was a great experience to connect with other physicians that care for our patients.”

The MEI-CMU Audiology Day continues to foster interprofessional education, preparing the next generation of audiologists for impactful careers in healthcare.