Overview
Sara Coulson, Associate Professor and Programme Lead in Healthcare Science (Audiology) speak about what Audiology at DMU has to offer.
At DMU, you will study anatomy and pathophysiology of the ear, how to test a baby’s hearing, managing someone with dizziness and how to best help adults with hearing loss. These practical skills sit alongside a strong scientific foundation, such as research and the properties of sound, all of which are strengthened by a mandatory clinical placement.
Our course utilises a 6-week block-teaching model, in which you will learn one content area at a time. This means the knowledge and skills you learn with us help you to become the best practitioner you can be, whether an audiologist, hearing aid dispenser, in further study or research, putting the patient at the heart of everything you do.
Our graduates progress to work in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, private practices, research groups and the education sector. They frequently practice alongside multi-disciplinary teams, including doctors, psychologists and other healthcare staff.
Key features
- Our course is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council and accredited by the National School of Healthcare Science; this means that our graduates are eligible to apply for registration with the Academy of Healthcare Science and the Health and Care Professions Council.
- You’ll use four dedicated and specially designed clinical teaching spaces, equipped with the latest technology and training and teaching aids.
- You’ll learn with and from an experienced teaching, research and support team, alongside external industry, those with lived experience, and clinical experts.
- You’ll study one topic area at a time, each for six weeks (block teaching model); this means you can focus your learning in that area, maximising your understanding of one aspect before progressing to the next.
- Assessment styles will vary across the programme: practical exams, problem-based learning, case studies, presentations, written exams, written pieces and placement.
- Your mandatory 30 weeks work placement spans from spring in year 2 until autumn of year 3- this includes the summer period.
- The work placement enables you to put theory into practice and build the skills that graduate employers are looking for, which leads to a high proportion of our students gaining job offers prior to graduation.
- Our students have benefitted from international experiences through our DMU Global programme, which allows students to utilise skills around the world. Previous activities have included student connections with universities in Poland and Belgium, supporting and managing clinics in under-served communities in India, performing hearing screening at the Special Olympics and attending international conferences such as the ‘World Congress in Audiology’ held in Canada and South Africa.
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Institution code: D26
UCAS course code: B61A
Duration: Three years full-time
Start date: September 2024
Location: De Montfort University, Leicester UK, and on work-based placements which are spread across the country. We try to ensure that you are placed where you will have the best chance of development.
Fees and funding:
2024/25 tuition fees for UK students: £9,250
Additional costs: You may incur additional costs for this programme, including the cost of travelling to and from project/placement locations.
This programme is not currently available to international students
Clinical Placement and Careers
You will undertake compulsory work placements mostly in the NHS, working with a range of people from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, developing your clinical and professional skills. Placements are spread across the country and we try to ensure that you are placed where you will have the best chance of development.
You will have a 30-week placement which will usually start in the spring term of your second year and end in the autumn term of your third-year (including across the summer).
During your 30-week placement you will be supported by a clinical educator in practice, a university appointed clinical lecturer and your personal tutor. Throughout your placement we will maintain contact and support you in developing your clinical skills and acumen.
Study time are built into the placement to ensure that you can reflect on your learning and recap how theory links to practice.
Placements will allow you to develop your professional skills, time management, team working, leadership and management qualities. They will also instil a work ethic and help you develop your overall readiness for whichever career destination you choose.
You should be aware that any disclosure on your DBS, or disclosed health issues or learning differences will be discussed with placement providers prior to placement allocation. It is important to note that placement providers may not be able to take a student depending on what is disclosed on their DBS – if this may affect you please seek advice before accepting a place on the course.
Whilst on placement, students must adhere to the uniform and dress code policy of the placement provider. NHS Trusts and other placement providers have given careful consideration to cultural and religious needs relating to uniform policies / dress codes. These policies/codes have been developed in conjunction with local and national cultural and religious bodies to ensure that local and national infection control guidance is adhered to. Whilst every attempt has been made to accommodate individual needs, there are some areas where the need to fully comply with infection control guidance has overridden religious requirements.
There is no guarantee that a placement will be near Leicester or your family home address. We can only allocate placements that meet our criteria and that are available at the time that you are due to start your placement. You will always be notified in advance of your placement allocation.
If you decline your allocated placement this could result in a delay in allocating you an alternative placement, which in turn will impact on when you complete your programme and are able to graduate.
Typically, placements mimic the typical working week of the placement provider. You must complete 30 weeks on placement, excluding any annual leave and sickness, within the placement period.
NHS placements are unpaid and while on placements you are likely to incur additional travel and accommodation costs compared with a regular student attending university and requiring student accommodation. The university consider financial support on an individual basis, depending on placement location and circumstances.
Healthcare Science Audiology BSc Hons Degree
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DMU Global
This is our innovative international experience programme which aims to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons – helping you to become a global graduate, equipped to meet the needs of employers across the world. Through DMU Global, we offer a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as Erasmus+ and international exchanges.
Students on this course have previously undertaken DMU Global trips to India and the Special Olympics in Belgium, where they provided hearing tests. They’ve also been on trips to New York to consider the health risks of biological hazards in the city, taught science classes in Bermuda and helped refugees in Berlin.
Graduate careers
Our course equips graduates for the ever-changing world of work, ready to adapt and problem-solve healthcare decisions of today and tomorrow. Our graduates are in high demand, with many securing employment prior to graduation.
Our graduates go on to work in a variety of roles, including within the NHS as an Audiologist and in the private sector as a Hearing Aid Dispenser. Clinical roles include working with adults, paediatric and specialist populations. A number of graduates also progress to manage or become partners of their own branches, developing their managerial and leadership skills.
Graduates can also opt to work in settings such as in research or with hearing aid and audiology equipment manufacturers. Some choose to progress to further study, such as the NHS Scientist Training Programme, where they develop their clinical and research skills in audiology even further.
Healthcare Science (Audiology) graduate Layla Mohamed is now working at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth as a qualified clinical audiologist.
She said: “The DMU Audiology course ticked a lot of boxes for me in terms of working in the health sector, and job prospects were high.
It is the greatest feeling when a patient comes back to me saying how much their life has improved and how much they have benefited from the treatment you have provided.”
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