Is a Beauty Queen Smarter than an Audiologist?
A few years ago, a poor young lady competing in the 2007 Miss USA Teen Pageant had a classic brain freeze moment. When asked why she thought one of five Americans can’t locate the U.S. on a map, she responded: “I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some people out there in our nation don’t have maps and, uh, I believe that our, uh, education like such as in, uh, South Africa and, uh, the Iraq and everywhere like such as, and I believe that they should, uh, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., uh, should help South Africa and should help Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future for our children.”
To be fair, she was only a teenager at the time, and she was on a stage in front of many people, knowing she was being broadcast live to many more. We have all had that “deer in the headlights” moment. Can we really hold her responsible, and is it right to poke fun?
This reminds me of the dumbest thing I ever heard an audiologist say. I may be a little less forgiving, because there were no crowds, no spotlight, no apparent hairspray, and a frightening amount of apathy.
Several years ago, we hosted a Mayo Clinic Teleconference at my office. We invited all the audiologists in the area to attend. They could earn continuing education credits, free of charge. I was even going to buy lunch. Well, this one audiologist’s response to the invitation was this:
He:” What’s the conference about?”
Me: “Early Recogniton of Acoustic Neuroma and New Tests of Vestibular Function.”
He: “We really don’t see those kind of patients. Thanks anyway”
Me: “That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard an Audiologist say.”
Why am I telling you this story? Because you never know what is going to walk into your office. You can’t be expected to be an expert in all areas, but if you don’t consider all possibilities, you are going to miss some important things.
