Fadyeh Barakat, VP for Audiology, shares thoughts on her profession

As an audiologist, I absolutely love that I get to help people every day and work with colleagues and professionals all over the state who represent the field of audiology with pride and compassion. Most of all, I love that the field of audiology is evolving and changing in ways that allow us to share our knowledge of hearing, balance, tinnitus and hearing technology with more and more people across the state and beyond. But even positive change can come with uncertainty. While audiologists are excited about the prospect of telehealth and more accessible hearing technology, changes are coming our way, the results of which are hard to predict.

It is difficult to anticipate the impact that over-the-counter hearing aids and the always confusing Medicare changes will have on our profession over the next few years. If you are anything like me, it might feel easier to ignore or deny that these changes are coming. But the wiser next step is to work hard to stay current and in front of new legislation and appeals for change in our profession. It is and should be our responsibility to be the guiding force for advocacy that will protect our profession and the people we serve.

ArSHA is committed to monitoring legislation impacting audiologists in the state of Arizona as well as advocating for and supporting initiatives on behalf of Arizona audiologists. We at ArSHA encourage all audiologists to be active in the growth and advancement of their field and hope that we are able to hear the voices of our fellow audiologists in the community so that we can support you in whatever endeavors you wish to pursue.