Stephen F. Austin State University graduate students practice administering hearing screenings on each other in the Gwen and Ed Cole Audiology Lab on the university campus. Recently, the Cole Audiology Lab was awarded the 2016 Best of Nacogdoches Award by The Daily Sentinel.
Award recipients are recognized for their positive impact in the community and quality service they provide to their clients. Awards are distributed based on service or business category. This is the second year that the Cole Audiology Lab has received the award in the audiologist category.
“I am passionate about hearing health care and the opportunity to improve the quality of life of individuals,” said Dr. Kelly Jobe, director of the lab and clinical instructor. “Receiving this award is meaningful because the community is in a sense saying ‘job well done.’ It feels great to make a positive impact in the lives of our patients and community.”
SFA’s Cole Audiology Lab’s function is twofold. First, the lab serves as a hands-on learning facility for graduate students studying speech pathology. Students are required to complete 30 hours of audiology clinical practicum, which they can obtain at the lab. Additionally, students can apply their classroom instruction in a practical way by testing each other in the lab for course assignments, Jobe said.
Second, the Cole Audiology Lab also is open to the public. The lab provides comprehensive diagnostic hearing evaluations such as electrophysiological testing, which records the electrical activity and pathways of the auditory brainstem; aural rehabilitation such as hearing aid evaluations, fittings and follow-up care; and preventative care such as noise protection awareness.
Lab audiologists can evaluate and treat balance disorders and children with auditory processing disorders. The lab collaborates with Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital and serves Nacogdoches Independent School District, private schools and surrounding communities with school hearing screenings.
The lab is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with appointments available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and is located on the SFA campus in the Human Services Building, Room 205, 2100 North Raguet St. For more information, call (936) 468-7109.
