Audiology students lend me your ears. There are some things you should know about what's to come, that haven't been compiled until now. They need no introduction: Brian Moore (An Introduction to the Psychology of Hearing), Christopher Plack (The Sense of Hearing), John Graham (Ballantyne's Deafness), and Stanley Gelfand (Hearing: An Introduction to Physiological and Psychological Acoustics). These iconic authors dominate the contents of Audiology BSc, and MSc, recommended reading lists; because they provide the masterful descriptions which denote our current understanding of how the human auditory system works, from the Pinna right up to the Auditory Cortex. Harvey Dillon's Hearing Aids took you behind the amplification curtain; to explain everything that you could ever wish to know about: how all hearing aids work, which patients are candidates for them and why, in addition to demystifying how these instruments are prescribed.
Jack Katz captained the quintessential Handbook of Clinical Audiology which has endured as a reliable point of reference, for the clinical application of all things audiological, since its inception many decades ago. Gary Jacobson and Neil Shepherd (Balance Function Assessment and Management) demystified the magic of the vestibular system in all its multi-faceted glory. David Baguley and Laurence McKenna (Tinnitus: A Multidisciplinary Approach) offered Audiologists a practical foothold in the immaterial world of tinnitus therapy and rehabilitation. Finally, it was Barry McCormick's passion (Paediatric Audiology: 0-5 years) which encouraged all of us never to forget the little people; as they endeavour to habilitate themselves to sound, and develop language, throughout their entire compulsory education. It is undeniable that we owe much of our practice to each of these author's contributions.
What our Audiology forefathers didn't tell you, however, is what actually happens when the time comes to apply their evidence-based recommendations to real patients, inside the imperfect clinical workhouse otherwise known as THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE. For those of you who desire an unabridged idea of what being an Audiologist in the NHS is actually like, warts and all, through the medium of real-world accounts given by those who are currently active on the Audiology front lines; you can find them in Specialist Audiologist, Barnaby Growling's, guidebook. Along with a few: tips, tricks, and lessons from iconic Audiologists, past and present, which you all have a license to steal. Consider this guidebook as a source of working knowledge that aims to give you a head start on the road through your clinical placements. Knowledge that would traditionally have had to be gained by students through many years of: toil, trial, and error, at your patient's expense. Let's start a new tradition together.