Mike Metz

I had an interesting conversation the other day with an old friend about a Facebook chatroom that entertained only audiologists talking about things that they would not share in a public forum.  Things like peculiar or difficult patients, office problems, and other issues that, shall we say, are either inappropriate or just plain nasty.  My friend and I decided that,

The first three parts of this piece (one, two, three) discussed some issues that caused consternation in the past.  While repetitive for many audiologists, perhaps some readers have a little better understanding of how past regulatory confrontations have influenced Audiology.  In reviewing these issues, here are some personal conclusions. Lessons to consider: Lots of input should go into licensing boards,

The first two parts of this series have dealt with some of the past issues that might have been managed in a way that provided for a more efficient and future-looking field.  A few more related discussions may provide more awareness of potential directions that might make the future easier. Federal Regulations Four important federal regulations hold an ever-decreasing sway

Part 1 of this rant started with a discussion of the licensing wars, the CE wars, and the “turf” wars. Knowing the past sometimes prevents future mistakes. Moving ahead with recollections of those years, consider: The changes in the taxation regulations for hearing aids, The emergence of multiple professional organizations dedicated to audiology, The rising of programs offering clinical audiology

Changes of all types during the past 10-15 years should have provided Audiology with some valuable lessons. But the rationale that helped shape things in the past may no longer apply. Old people and ideas may need to move out of the way. Audiologists should consider a “remake” to counter these coming changes. To that end, I offer some history,

We live in exciting times.  Not just considering the politics all around us, but also when considering the changes that will affect what practicing audiologists might do in the future.  If anyone has been watching the legal and ethical entanglements of many professions since Stromberg brought it to the attention of speech pathologists and audiologists in 1990[1], one can only

Even though it is a work of fiction, Fredrik Backman, in his recent book Beartown (Artria Books, New York, NY, 2016), considers an interesting concept.   There are few words that are harder to explain than “loyalty.”  It’s always regarded as a positive characteristic, because a lot of people would say that many of the best things people do for

The New York Times runs an occasional column called “Smarter Living”.  Some of the information you could come across there, should you read it, involves things like “forgiving yourself” by writing yourself a letter, or explaining why people who save or give themselves time are often more satisfied than people who just buy things in order to become “satisfied”.[1] And,

By Gabrielle Filips, AuD, originally published 12/25/2012 Gabrielle Filips, AuD As professionals in the hearing health industry, our main goal is to ensure the best hearing experience possible for hearing aid wearers. That experience  goes beyond the way wearers hear in their surroundings, and extends to how they handle and manage their hearing aids and hearing aid batteries. Currently, the

Originally published April 18, 2017.  You start with a cage containing four monkeys, and inside the cage you hang a banana on a string, and then you place a set of stairs under the banana. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and climb toward the banana. You then spray ALL the monkeys with cold water.  After a while,