The Ida Institute Tackles Clinician Well-Being and Burnout with a Free New Course

Naerum, Denmark, April 25 – The Ida Institute’s newest Learning Hall course, Clinician Well-being: The Science of Self-care, launched April 25, 2022. The four-part course addresses causes and remedies for such things as vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout.

Hearing care professionals have the privilege of being part of their clients’ hearing care journeys. But sometimes, professionals inadvertently take on their clients’ distress over hearing challenges or other things discussed in appointments. On top of that, they face caseload challenges, business pressures, and environmental influences, which all add further stress. If clinicians are not aware and prepared, they are at risk of professional fatigue.

Self-care allows for better care of others

This course helps hearing care professionals exercise self-care for their own well-being. It explores the various forms of professional fatigue: vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout, and identifies their early warning signs. By the end of the course, learners will be able to develop their own professional fatigue warning scale, a self-care strategy, and a framework for debriefing within a clinical setting.

Ida’s Managing Director, Lise-Lotte Bundesen, said, “While most of our resources focus on the needs of people with hearing loss, we know that burnout, stress, and other forms of professional fatigue are an ongoing concern for both employers and employees across industries. This course looks specifically at the risks and remedies of professional fatigue in a hearing care setting and gives clinicians the tools to evaluate their own needs and make self-care a part of their daily lives. Because we can’t help others if we don’t first look after ourselves.”

The course is structured in four parts:

1. Risk factors for clinician well-being

2. Making empathy conscious

3. Tools and strategies of self-care

4. Debriefing in the clinical setting
This course includes several knowledge checks, ethnographic videos, and a short exam at the end of each section. Passing all four exams enables learners to apply for CEU/CPD points with accrediting organizations.

Clinician Well-being:

The Science of Self-care is taught by Dr Dunay Schmulian, Director of Audiology at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Queensland, Australia. Schmulian is the former Chair of Wellness and Culture at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Queensland and a Women in STEMM Fellowship recipient. Her research focuses on the lived experience of patients and clinicians engaged in life-changing health conditions.

To view Clinician Well-being and all the Learning Hall courses, create a free account on the Ida Website at https://idainstitute.com/login/.

Learn more about the Ida Institute at idainstitute.com or sign up for the institute’s weekly newsletter.

You can also follow the Ida Institute at twitter.com/IdaInstitute, facebook.com/idainstitute or linkedin.com/company/ida-institute.

For more information or to arrange interviews, contact Clint McLean at the Ida Institute ciml@idainstitute.dk

SAC Audiology members, we are excited to announce an exclusive discount on a Comprehensive Cerumen Management course and a host of other online professional development available through Pacific Audiology.

Your discount of 25% off registration rates is only available through SAC. To access this discount, use the code SAC25 upon registering.
 

Click here to learn more and to register.

Health Standards Organization (HSO) has just released the Long-Term Care Services draft standard. There is a 60-day public review period that ends on March 27th. The SAC Audiology Long-Term Care Working Group would like to use the data gathered in this survey to inform our work and response from SAC, as well as future advocacy proposals.
 

This survey was recently included in January’s SAC Insider. The French version is now available. It may take as little as two minutes to complete. Please share this survey with your network of professionals and students providing hearing services. Thank you for your time.

The deadline to complete the survey is March 1, 2022.
 

Click here to complete the survey

The global population is ageing and it is important to address the health needs of older adults, including mental health needs.  

Carla van Stelten, an MSc audiology student from the University of Cape Town, is conducting a research project that is exploring audiologists’ knowledge and perceptions about the mental health needs of their older adult clients as well as if and how audiologists are addressing these needs.  

She is looking for audiologists to complete a 30 minute online survey. At the end of the survey, participants will receive a link to free online courses which they may take to improve their knowledge and skills related to the mental health needs of older adults with hearing loss.  

Participation is completely voluntary and answers will be recorded in such a way that participants will not be identifiable. IP address tracking has been disabled so that identifiable respondent information and IP addresses are not tracked. Full study information and consent procedures appear at the start of the survey link.   

If you have any questions, the student researcher, Carla van Stelten, can be contacted via email: vstcar008@myuct.ac.za.

The research supervisor, Dr Christine Rogers, can be contacted via email: Christine.Rogers@uct.ac.za 

If you are interested in taking part, please click on the following link which will direct you to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5RLG7CH 

The research study has been approved by a registered Research Ethics Committee (Reference number HREC REF: 349/2021). The University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Health Sciences Human Research Ethics Committee can be contacted on +27 21 406 6338 in case you have any ethical concerns or questions about your rights or welfare as a participant on this research study.