SMSU's new audiology doctorate in first semester

This fall is the first semester for Southwest Missouri State University's first free-standing doctoral program. The university is offering a doctorate in audiology.

It will be the first doctorate SMSU will actually award, said Dr. Neil DiSarno, head of the communication sciences and disorders department.

Seven students have been admitted into the audiology program.

Steffanee Saitta, who had already worked a year towards her master's degree, has switched to the doctorate program. Saitta said the master's program in audiology was "limited in things" she felt she needed to know. As she explained, "With the (doctorate) program there are more classes, more opportunities, and more experience with the year-long residency requirement."

She feels that by the time she graduates, she will be more confident than if she had graduated with the master's degree.

Darcy Hertzberg, who's also part of the doctoral program, praised the instructors. "I believe we have a very strong group of professors here, and I'm very happy with the knowledge that I have gained so far," Hertzberg said.

The new doctoral program came about because the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association "determined that training for audiologists at a two-year master's level isn't sufficient to cover the breadth of knowledge that they need to have and the amount of practical training," said DiSarno.

Because the ASHA is the organization that certifies audiologists, something had to change. SMSU had two choices drop the program or make it a four-year doctoral program, DiSarno said.

After surveying employers in Missouri and surrounding states to determine if there would be a need to hire audiologists in the future, SMSU decided the need was "extensive," DiSarno said.

He pointed out "this is the only place in the state right now that's offering the degree. It is the only state-supported institution in Missouri to have plans of offering such a program," DiSarno said.

"The field is expanding. We were hard-pressed to give our students enough information in a two-year period. Now we are able to actually provide all the course work and training to know they are adequately trained," DiSarno said.

SMSU's doctoral program consists of about 105 hours of work, with the last two semesters being a full-time residency program. "The program is designed to prepare a person for a career in hospitals, private practice settings, industrial settings, medical offices, clinical settings and rehabilitation centers," according to a program brochure.

Audiologists are used in many areas. Missouri requires hearing screenings of newborns before they leave the hospital. Babies with hearing impairments are fitted with devices or given other forms of treatment, and audiologists are involved with that. Patients with balance disorders are treated by audiologists. Hearing aids, the fittings and rehabilitation also require trained personnel. The turn to cochlear implants, which DiSarno described as "another reason why the doctorate is becoming required," calls for skilled audiologists to work with the patients.

The outlook for those who complete the doctoral program is bright. DiSarno said the average starting salary is in the upper $40,000 range and described the job market as "quite favorable."

Job satisfaction appears to be high as well. DiSarno said probably nine out of 10 who train to be audiologists stay in the field. A practicing audiologist himself, he described the work as rewarding and a field in which the practitioner "can make a difference in a person's life."

Getting accepted into the program is competitive. DiSarno said a minimum requirement for admission is a 3.0 GPA, along with letters of intent and letters of recommendation. While it isn't necessary to have a bachelor's degree in communications sciences and disorders, it is helpful.

"We need to make sure the student understands this is the field they want. The course gets increasingly challenging and they must be able to put the course work into practice. We try to make sure it's a good fit for the students," DiSarno said.

Although the audiology program is new, it has had favorable feedback. "Professionals in the state are quite pleased the program has started and that they will continue to have a source for employees," DiSarno said.