Month: January 2018

At NBC-HIS we are dedicated to providing the standard of excellence among hearing health professionals. At its very core, your business provides a vital service to the millions of people who suffer from hearing loss. You make their lives better by helping them stay connected with the people around them.

YOU’RE IN BUSINESS TO HELP, AND WE’RE HERE TO HELP YOU.

Here are our top 5 ways NBC-HIS certification is a business builder:

1. CREDIBILITY AND COMPETENCY. An NBC-HIS board certification shows that you work within the industry’s highest standards of skills and knowledge. Customers can rest assured that they are getting the best possible service and advice.
2. PEDIGREE. We’ve been in business for over 3 decades and that’s experience people trust.
3. ETHICS. When you are NBC-HIS certified, you are aligning yourself with the highest standard of ethics and code of conduct in the industry. The NBC-HIS Code of Ethics is unrivaled.
4. STATUS. Because NBC-HIS is a national and internationally recognized certification, your business is aligned with thousands of others around the globe.
5. VISIBILITY. Once certified, your professional visibility and customer recognition can increase dramatically.

THE PROCESS COULDN’T BE EASIER!

Remember, certification exam scheduling is always flexible, and it’s now more user-friendly with instant online results. We also have the flexibility of offering the exam in paper form at conferences, conventions and possibly your place of business.

It can be easy to fall into the trap of hearing loss denial for several reasons.

First, there has long been a stigma attached to hearing loss, but fortunately we are slowly but surely helping to remove it. The idea of hearing aids signifying old age or weakness is becoming less of an issue as our society ages. Still, for many, the idea of hearing aids can be a negative symbol of aging.

Another reason for denial is that hearing loss often takes place over time, at first seemingly unnoticed, but gradually deteriorating, causing frustration for the person with hearing loss and for the people around them. Sometimes this can lead to feelings of isolation.

People who are suffering hearing loss who do not seek out help have been proven to be more likely to suffer depression as compared to those who used hearing aids. As well, they may tend to avoid participation in social activities. So the positive side of getting your hearing tested and, if needed, being professionally  fitted with hearing aids far outweighs the negatives.

Think of this as more than just regaining your hearing. With properly fitted hearing aids, you are gaining back control of your life. Waiting years, even decades, can rob people of a rewarding, happy existence that can be easily and painlessly be remedied.

If you feel you are becoming closed off from your friends and family because you’re not able to keep up with the conversation. Keep in mind that your friends and family miss your participation in their lives too, schedule a hearing test and discover the freedom that hearing aids can provide.

“NBC–HIS is the only certified agency that is nationally accredited, and the process is relatively easy,” says Bruce Campagna, BC-HIS, “and they help you through it.”

As leaders in the industry, we have made the certification process streamlined and efficient so that you can apply for your certification and build your career and business supported by this highly respected certification.

The National Competency Exam (NCE) is based on research data that determines the daily skills needed to be a successful Hearing Health Professional. The exam is based on practical knowledge and decision-making capabilities. A Hearing Health Professional who has received the required amount of experience should have little difficulty becoming certified.

The scheduling of the exam is flexible, and we can work to your timing to set up your exam. As well, the exam has been made more user-friendly. And we’ve streamlined it so you get results fast! You can find your nearest exam location. The last word goes to Bruce Campagna who enthusiastically states:

“I’m encouraging you to be the best. Be board certified.”

Hearing aid consumers are doing their homework.  After selling my practice I had the opportunity to do Open House events all over the US.  I really found it fascinating to work in so many different practices and see how other professionals run their businesses.  It was also interesting working with so many different types of patients.  And YES there is a difference how people in different parts of the country act and react.

Two situations come to my mind.  In the initial part of the consultation, I found out the patient recently had a hearing test at a competitor’s office.  As I was questioning them regarding the cost of the recommended product, the patient asked if the local practitioner was Board Certified.  I was a little surprised, but said yes and there on the wall was their Board Certification Certificate.  Having volunteered with NBC-HIS since it’s very inception, I was curious what prompted the question.  I informed the patient that not only was the local practitioner Board Certified but that I had helped write the Board Certification exam.  As we talked, the patient said they had read something about a professional becoming Board Certified and they liked that idea.

The practice that had previously tested them had hem-hawed around the question and talked about how great they were.  The patient said they were not comfortable with the answer and consequently “had to think about it”. The fact that the practice I was at did have Board Certified professionals was the deciding factor for the patient to go ahead and purchase hearing aids.

Another incident that surprised me happened a few years ago, a patient who had an appointment for the Open House came in carrying the Consumer’s Report on hearing aids (this was a couple of years after the report was published).  The first question out of their mouth was, “Do these people use Real Ear Measurement (REM)?”  After reading in the report how effective REM is for fine tuning a hearing aid fitting and how few practices used it, this was the deciding factor on whether we could even proceed with the hearing test.  Fortunately, the practice I was at did have the Real Ear capability and we were able to make a successful fitting on that patient.

I was amazed as I worked in different practices how few actually did Real Ear or Speech Mapping and how many had no real means of measuring the output of hearing aids.  A test box and drain meter are still valuable tools to supplement Real Ear and/or sound field testing.  More and more patients want to “see” what the improvement is.  Just asking, “How do I sound now?” is not going to suffice in the future.  Tools like REM, Speech Mapping and Quick Sin don’t take much time and can reduce follow up visits and produce happier patients.  Board Certification can also add to a patient’s comfort level.  Use the tools and equipment available today and Be the Best. Be Board Certified

Wayne Jacobson, BC-HIS

Continuous improvements and innovations are being made in the area of hearing aid technology. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent each year on research and development so that patients can connect with the world around them through sound. With that, hearing aids have gone through amazing changes in the last couple of decades. Firstly, we have witnessed the move from analog to digital. Analog hearing aids would amplify all sounds in the surrounding environment. This was a great first step; however, hearing is a complicated process that not only involves the ear, but also requires that the brain act as a filtering system to prioritize auditory information.

Advanced digital hearing aid options began to possess the ability to make real time refinements to help with clarity and comfort in noise. Hearing aid manufacturers continue to research not only how hearing aids or other hearables can help one hear better, but also to help the hearing aid user to distinguish speech from noise for better speech intelligibility. There are incredible features like multiband compression, feedback cancellation, noise reduction, speech enhancement, environment classification and a host of other signal processing technologies that have significantly improved listening capability and clarity.

The future of hearing aids may be much more than just a hearable. The introduction to wireless and Bluetooth technology has provided a foundation for the next wave of advancement. Imagine a hearing aid that not only helps you hear, but also tracks and monitors your heart rate. There are many devices on the market currently that help track your health but they require regular charging, and some are obtrusive and obvious, since they are worn on the wrist.

One hearing aid manufacturer has paired up with Bragi to hopefully make a much more advanced hearing aid that will not only help the patient hear well, but also track additional health data. For hearing aid wearers, there is a medical necessity to this device, unlike the wrist-worn technologies. Imagine a loved one, at home alone and their heart rate suddenly drops. The sensors in the hearing aid pick this up and call an emergency responder for help or automatically dials them in to a loved one. The possibilities are endless.

This is just a small implication of what the future may hold. The technology will get more sophisticated year after year to help those with hearing loss improve their quality of life but also, perhaps, save their life!

Danielle De Roose, BC-HIS
Board Certified in Hearing Instrument Sciences
Registered Hearing Aid Practitioner

Clients often mention that they have itchy ear canals. This is fairly common and there are a number of soothing ear drops you can use to remedy the itch, but different causes will require a specific treatment. Read on for helpful information you can use to assess what kind of itchy ears you have and what can be done to alleviate it.

Ear Wax
If your ear canal makes excessive wax this can cause itchiness or irritation. Ear wax can safely be removed by any of our Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialists (BC-HIS).  Your doctor can also safely remove ear wax at their office.

Using Q-Tips
We do not advocate for the use of Q-Tips for cleaning ear canals. Many people have injured their own ear drums by accident, which can lead to infections or hearing loss. Q-Tips may also be removing your natural wax barrier that keeps the skin in the ear canal moisturized, causing itchiness. It is safe to use a drop of olive oil on a cotton ball at the entrance of your ear canal to help replenish moisture.

Skin Issues
Psoriasis and eczema are two conditions that cause skin to be itchy. Signs of either may be scaling, very dry skin in or around the ear, or cracking skin. These conditions need to be treated medically by your doctor.

Allergies
Some people report itchy ears occur alongside seasonal allergies. Ask your doctor if anti-histamines will help.

Fungal Ear Infections
These are commonly caused by hot, humid environments or swimming on a regular basis. Water carries fungal contaminants and if left to sit in the ear canal, it can allow the fungus to grow and irritate the ear. This type of condition needs to be treated by your doctor.

Hygiene Products
Shampoo, bubble bath, soap, hair dye and hairspray may have ingredients that are irritating the sensitive skin in your ears. Be sure to rinse out your ears with clean water and dry them very well afterwards with your pinky finger and a thin facecloth. The skin in your ears has it’s own natural pH level and it is important to keep the natural balance.

Our certified professionals offer safe, effective ear drop products to help soothe general itchiness in the ears. Be sure to ask about these products it the next time you are in their office.

Source: http://www.med-health.net/Itchy-Inner-Ear.html
Kim Ryll, BC-HIS
Board Certified in Hearing Instrument Sciences
Registered Hearing Aid Practitioner

By definition, empathy has two meanings. One is to put yourself in someone else’s shoes in order to fully understand or “feel” what they are experiencing so that they can really feel understood. The other is to be able to relate to someone else’s situation because you’ve personally experienced the same thing.

It might not always be possible to use personal experience, but as caring humans we are capable of investing deep thought and feeling to imagining what it would feel like if we were to have the same experience as someone else. This takes more thought and effort than offering sympathy, which by definition is recognition of another’s suffering and is expressed by kind words meant to soothe the person who is suffering.

Sympathy is not out of place here; it is usually very honest and coming from the heart, but what our specialists find is what clients really need is empathy. Due to their initial and ongoing education and many years working with the hard of hearing population, our specialists know that living with hearing loss is difficult. Our Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialists (BC-HIS) care about these difficulties. They want to get to know you and find out how hearing loss affects you so that they can better empathize with your specific wants and needs. This enables them to put “themselves into your shoes”, allows them to determine the best course of action, and gives them the tools they need to recommend the best quality hearing solutions to meet your needs and expectations.

We want you to hear your loved ones in the car, and we want you to be able to chat about the weather with the cashier at the grocery store with ease. We also definitely want you to hear your grandchildren describe what they did in school on a particular day. Human interaction is important to a healthy life!

We all suffer at some point in our lives, but if we can empathize with each other we are opening a door to more personal connection and better communication, which leads to more understanding and hopefully more happiness.

Kim Ryll, BC-HIS
Board Certified in Hearing Instrument Sciences
Registered Hearing Aid Practitioner

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