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Ep. 2019-2: Audiology Professional with Hearing Loss with Samantha Kesteloot(00:11) When I went looking for a killer professional to highlight for Better Hearing Month, I definitely have an idea of who that perfect professional avatar might be. You know, one with tons of experience in the field, someone who maybe started out with normal hearing and then developed some hearing loss over time. I was trying to think of an audiology icon. (00:34) But who I found actually turned that whole idea on its ear, so to speak, no pun intended. So, today in the podcast, I want to introduce you to Samantha Kesteloot, a third-year AUD student and I would say a rising star. A woman who will inspire you to see your potential limitation as maybe your superpower for good in the world. Samantha has had a bilateral normal sloping to severe hearing Loss and has worn hearing aids almost her whole life. And in August 2017, she was implanted in the left ear with a hybrid cochlear implant. she's the SAA Michigan Ambassador and is on the SAA student leadership committee. (01:19) As a third-year AuD student at Wayne State University, Samantha was voted to the National AAA Board and will serve as Public Outreach Committee Chair in the coming year. That's a lot for a third-year AuD student. (01:35) Now, Samantha came to my attention through Dr. Gail Whitelaw, Ohio State University audiology professor and AAA Outstanding Educator award winner for this year 2019. (01:49) Dr. Whitelaw stated, and I quote, "She is a fan favorite for any situation". That's pretty high praise from one of our profession’s elite. And now she's headed off to the Central Institute for the Deaf to complete her 4th-year externship. Samantha, I am so thrilled to chat with you. Did I happen to leave anything out?(02:10) Oh my gosh! No. I'm blushing as crazy but yeah. No, I think you had everything. Yeah!(02:16) So one of the reasons that we wanted to chat with someone that had hearing loss for Better Hearing Month, is you have unique issues and challenges as an audiologist being out in the field and also having hearing loss. Now, what do you think are the biggest challenges that audiology professionals with hearing loss face out in the real world? (02:45) I would say, clinically, I think word recognition is the hardest skill to perform and impaired word understanding. So that's the challenge. For me it's easier to just kind of putting the patient facing the side starting with the lips is sort of very helpful recorded materials. Speech impairment, somewhat, is easier for people to do the recording. (03:20) Speech in noise is very hard 'coz you hear the noise and then you have to pull that out. So, in that situation, it’s always good to have, it's kind of a second person there. So, I can just check with them. I think that is the hardest part. I also think there's a lot of patients who are very distrusting of an audiologist for hearing loss. So I had to do a few myth-busting sessions there to show that I have the competency in that regard. There have been some people who say, "You can't do that," and that sort of things that of course light a fire under me, but that’s okay. But I think that word recognition is the hardest clinical skill overall. (04:12) As a student, you have a supervisor that's potentially standing right with you. What happens to you when you transition into doing things on your own, do you have a workaround that you're considering? (04:27) Yeah! I mean I have an FM system which is honestly probably the best workaround. I’ve had a patient use an FM system. Honestly, ever since I got my cochlear implant—and that was a really big motivation for me to get my implant because I want to work with kids and children have soft voices and not perfect speech, all that. Getting the implant was a huge step to being the best professional that I can be. And so, ever since I've gotten the implant, I've been able to do better work with the testing. I just have to make sure that I'm focused like when I'm schooling. I know everything is kind of time-critical, and so you are trying to like do the testing and stuff. And my supervisor understands this and said I just have to focus on the word and scoring the testing and then I get to the report. (05:27) Right. Of course. What would you have wanted your audiologist to know to have made the hearing journey more successful for you?(05:42) I honestly have had the best audiologist and I really don't know what I could say to them. I mean my audiologists are my biggest champions right now.(05:57) Did that inspire you? I mean, I would assume it had to have inspired you?(06:01) Oh yeah! Without a doubt. Growing up my teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing was actually the one who said that, “You should work with kids who have hearing loss, and you should give back and you should do this," so I thought, “Yeah! You’re right. I should.” I always thought I wanted to do like counseling or something like that for kids that have hearing loss, but then I realized I like audiology and what audiologist do. So, she encouraged me to do that. And then I worked as an audiology assistant in the schools, and that audiologist—she just dumped all her knowledge on me because she knew I wanted to learn and she knew that I was very passionate about it. And so, she really motivated me to pursue an AuD and to just keep pushing. And then, I had an audiologist in high school and she's just such a believer in me. When I say, "Okay, I don't know if I can do this," she's was like, "You can! I believe in you." I think having that personal connection with the audiologist. I'm so thrilled that I had that in mind. Growing up and try things that that are really important to just keep in mind—like you really do want to make it personal and you really want to like should be in for your patient, should be there. It's like an intangible thing to like to develop those relationships. But that's what everybody value—the connections. (07:33) What advice would you offer an audiologist that has hearing loss and maybe is not comfortable letting patients know that they have hearing loss so they're trying to, you know? Like our own patients to their uncomfortable maybe with someone seeing their hearing aids because of exactly what you've said, like the perceived limitation. What advice would you offer them?(08:00) Everyone has their own... some people own their hearing loss; some people you know? They don't, they kind of hide behind it. So, I'm definitely somebody who owns it. I think in that situation, I would just suggest that they ask the question, “Why am I hiding this?” This really takes some introspection. I mean, you're doing audiology for a reason so it's a personal connection to you. (08:29) If you want your patients to do what's best for them, you should do what's best for you as well. And I think practicing language around, explaining your hearing loss and even just a concise statement.(08:42) Like how would you do that? Like if you're going to say it to a patient?(08:46) I don't always just like to come out and say it. I have my hair of most of the time so they can see. If they ask, I would say: "Yeah. I have hearing loss my whole life." And then I just kind of keep it very short and brief and less. They want more details. It's been an interesting to see patients' reactions. I actually had a woman like a cry 'coz she felt so bad for me. And I was, "No. This is giving me so much purpose and identity.” It made me felt so bad that she was crying... That's also something that's different I think—growing up with hearing loss and having it for a long time that it’s just a part of me versus some patients, they lose their hearing over time. (09:39) So like, the thing is the back and learning how to relate with that is kind of a challenge. For that audiologist who cover their hearing loss, I just ask, “Why?” I challenge them. I don't think that that's fair to them or fair to their patients. I mean there's a level of transparency and honesty that I think they should have. It's not anything to be ashamed of.(10:03) I knew. To me, when I listen to your talk, I mean it just feels like it's your superpower, so to speak. (10:10) It's totally is. I can consider a superpower. As I said, it's just giving me so much purpose. I'm involved, all these things—I love it and I’m happy. It's like AAA Michigan Audiology, and everything. I'm so full. Like, my heart is boasting, I want to do this forever. I can't wait to do more and more. It's definitely a superpower and I think that just having that internal drive. (10:49) It's so cool. And I wouldn't have if I didn't have my hearing loss. It's Interesting to see some research that say people with hearing loss don’t have very good like they don't read emotions well. I think it's the opposite. I know a lot of people with hearing loss who are very intuitive and can read between the lines. Somebody may say something but their body language is saying the exact opposite. And you just kind of become aware of that. And so, growing up, I was always very good at like mediating between people and just facilitating things. Until I think that that having my hearing loss is really transitioned into the leadership skills. So, I'm willing to do it but then also I have that ability to bring people together. I hope I do anyway. (11:46) I knew you just, it seems to me like you're brought up a really good point that you know? You can learn all of the cooking book skills, but that kind of skills—you can't teach that kind of skill. And being able to listen and be very present with someone and then be able to read them, you know, “What's going on behind the scenes?" Sometimes that's going to tell you way more than anything else. (12:16) Oh definitely. Yeah, definitely. (12:18) What's the future hold for you?(12:21) Well, I don't know. So, I'm going to CID and think about the rest of my externship. I don't know where that's gonna lead. I intend to move back to Michigan, and hopefully, just work in schools there. I'm involved in a lot of camps with kids. I kind of want to remain involved in that. But I'm open to any opportunities that come. (12:53) I just want to keep touching kids' lives and like making them believe in their potential. And seeing the hearing loss that there's superpower or just accepting it or whatever, that you know? Not everybody going to think of it as a superpower, but as long as you can accept it and fulfill their potentials, so that's always been my goal. I've done a few presentations, just kind of talks and stuff. And I think I want to explore that a little bit more. Get better at that. Doing presentations and those kinds of things. So, that's hopefully what my future is. Educational audiology and maybe presenting.(13:36) I can see why Dr. Whitelaw's so taken with you. You're incredible and you are no doubt going to inspire a whole new generation of folks, hopefully, be not only to do their best but maybe even find their way to audiology. (13:54) Yeah. I hope so. I worked in the school where we had two students, well now actually three of them, who are becoming audiologist now. Just because, "Oh my gosh! Do you do this? I want to do this too!" It's really cool. I never had a role model to look up to. And I think that is something that really motivates me—especially working with teens, which was the hardest kind for me growing up. So, I think that they're kind of just lost group, just in general. But also like, especially with the hearing loss and so. It's really exciting for me, like when somebody said: "I want to become an audiologist because you are doing this and I can do that, too." It's incredible. I mean there's no feeling like it. I just like want to cry because it's so amazing. (14:43) Well, I am so happy that you took just a few minutes out of your schedule to chat with us because girl you got to go on. (14:52) Thank you so much! I'm so happy to do this. (14:51) And you're so busy. So, was fabulous to chat with you for even a short period of time. And I look forward to watching you shine 'coz I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of you.(15:06) Thank you! Thank you so much for having me. This is just so fun! ................
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