Doctor of Audiology Program: Science and Medicine of the Ear

The ear is one of the human body’s complex and sensitive systems. Since most of the aural system (the entire system used to detect sounds) is internal, it is often overlooked or underappreciated. The aural system contains the three smallest bones in the human body, the hammer, anvil, and stirrup. The delicate membrane of the inner ear is called the ear drum, and it is so sensitive that it is easily damaged and should not be touched except by a professional. For this reason, care must be exercised when cleaning the ears.The delicacy and complexity of the aural system is underestimated partly because of the tendency to think of the ear as merely the flaps of skin and cartilages on the sides of the head. In reality, those “ears” are comparable to the eyelids; they’re the simple covers of a powerful sensory system. Their main function is to protect the inner ear and channel sounds from the environment into it.The doctor of audiology program, some offered at an online medical school, usually consists of 75 credit hours. Despite the apparent simplicity of the ear, relative to other parts of the body, the doctor of audiology program has to cover quite a lot of material in that time. The human ear is used for more than just hearing. The senses of balance and direction that we take for granted also come from our inner ears. Unlike the eyes, which are relatively isolated systems that happen to be situated in the head, the ears are more intimately connected with the system of cavities in our heads known as sinuses.It’s interesting that a system as complex and delicate as the aural system is repeated on each human body. As everyone knows, we have two ears, and each one is just the same as the other in structure and function. There are several reasons for this. Some of the reasons are complex and developmental. The mechanisms of evolution and the development of fetal organisms have favored symmetry for reasons that are lengthy and complex. This redundancy also can be quite useful. Like most redundant systems, the second ear serves as a backup in case mishap befalls the first ear. It’s not hard to damage an ear, either by some physical or aural trauma, whether it be a single event or repeated exposure. The ear is also highly susceptible to any alteration or scarring caused by disease, deformation, parasite, etc. Having two ears also confers a less obvious bonus. Even though sound travels so quickly that for everyday purposes we consider it to be instantaneous, sound actually travels at a perceptible speed. Our brains are capable of noticing and processing the difference in time between when each ear notices the same sound. This information is used to compute the direction the sound came from.The Doctor of Audiology Program is responsible for preparing health care professionals to diagnose and treat aural problems. Unfortunately, hearing is one of the many bodily systems that often deteriorates as we age. For this reason, demand for audiologists and products such as hearing aids is high. The doctor of audiology program produces the audiologists who address these needs. In the doctor of audiology program, students learn to examine ears and diagnose problems. In some states, the doctor of audiology program is sufficient licensure for dispensing hearing aids. Although the general trend in the health care industry is for increasing the training and licensure necessary for performing and dispensing, many states that require more than the doctor of audiology program for hearing aid prescription are moving to remove those extra requirements.