Taylor Dube for Hearing and Brain Centers Application

Speaker: Taylor Dube

Taylor Dube: Hello, my name is Taylor Duby and I am currently a third year audiology student at SOAS University. And I would like to apply for the fourth year externship at Hearing and Brain Centers of America in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Taylor Dube: I'm a very outgoing person. Um and especially what I've seen in the field of audiology. I think it's definitely to my benefit that I am. Um You know, we see a lot of people who, you know, they're not looking for the Oh yeah, you have hearing loss and this is the next steps you need to go. Um So usually making them feel very comfortable in the situations that we're in and telling them, you know, hey, it does look like there is a significant amount of hearing loss here or even if we need to go ahead and do imaging next. Um just making sure that you feel comfortable. I feel like I'm very well suited in that area and then as well as I enjoy a busy schedule. So I like having a lot to do and like running around. I really don't like having low time in a way. Um So usually if anyone has any extra work or something that they need help with, I am like all there to go in hands on and take it up for them.

Taylor Dube: My greatest accomplishment so far would have to be getting everything set up for the walk for hearing in Philadelphia. Um I'm currently president of SA A through our school. And with that, um we usually will do some events um just around the area regarding screenings or just, you know, giving out information, protective hearing devices like that. And with the walk for hearing coming up in October, they wanted to know if we could provide a bus and do hearing screenings like we have previously. So it was my job basically to kind of get everything settled in. And ok, do we have the bus yet? Is the bus even done being finished? Because we had just transitioned to basically taking our old van that would carry our audiology, hearing and like eye equipment in it. Um We switched it over to a new one which actually allowed us to perform more hearing screenings because we did have a quieter section now. Um So getting that all together and being able to bring the bus with people allowed to do screenings on the athletes and everyone else at the event was just a huge hit, everything worked out. And I would definitely have to say for right now, that was definitely one of my greatest accomplishments in making sure that all got done and ran smoothly and was a hit.

Taylor Dube: So a perfect day in my life would probably look like, you know, getting up around like 5:06 a.m. getting ready with my dog, you know, she kind of gets taken care of first and then it's, you know, time for me to get ready. Um Usually, especially right now I'm at an ENT practice. So I'll go to the ENT for 839 o'clock ish and then we'll finish up around 435 depending on um if we had like a lot of the ngs that day. Um And then usually after that, I will just kind of get in um the rest of my type in, make sure I have everything uploaded for the day. And then if I have any other school work, try to make sure that gets done and say I usually go to bed fairly early. I'm in bed around like eight o'clock if I can. Um And that's really the perfect day for me. I would say I like doing things. I like going out. Um I love working. So even if um I'm not in the clinic, I usually will go to school on like a free day off. And just, like, get some other work done there or see, you know, if there's any help that needs to be done around, um, our program.

Taylor Dube: In the next 3 to 5 years. I see myself professionally being back in the New England area, practicing as an audiologist. I do have an interest however, in the populations of neurodevelopmental disabilities in both like p pediatrics and the geriatric realm. Um At the ent practice that I was previously at, I have seen a fair amount of facility patients where um I've seen that there's some disconnect clearly between either us as the audiologist or their care center. Um A lot of the times where I am seeing these patients are coming in with the wrong batteries in their hearing aids or the batteries are flips or the hearing aids are in the wrong ears. So, yeah, we're going ahead and making those adjustments within the clinic at that moment of time. But when they go back to where they are being cared for, do they know what steps to take and are they using the correct batteries? So making sure that they do have um what they need to go ahead and thrive in this world as well. Um I think that's um I really want to do a lot more work, especially in those populations and make sure that they are receiving the help and benefit that they deserve. Yeah.

Taylor Dube: For motivation, inspiration and direction. I would have to say, I usually will think of my mom for all of that. Um She's always been my biggest cheerleader in all of everything I've done in life. Uh Even though I know she probably has no idea of what my life really entails, especially with the realm of audiology. Um She really does try and help, which I think makes a huge impact and even if I'm stressed out or just need someone to be like, like, hey mom, I don't know what to do in this situation. She's always there to be like, you know, take a breath, everything will work out and everything happens for a reason. Um I think those words are really something to live by. Um And yeah, so I really thank my mom for all of that. She kind of was another reason why I've gone into audiology. She had hearing loss from childhood and she refuses to do anything about it. Um And yeah, so I really have to thank her for kind of making me go into this field and even just being my biggest cheerleader on the days where I don't think I can do it anymore. Yeah.

Taylor Dube: What gives me a sense of purpose I would have to say is just helping people in general. Um, it can be as simple as, you know, helping someone bring in their groceries to helping someone reconnect their hearing aids to their phone. Um, just like simple things to like the most extravagant things. Um, I always do like helping people. I will tend to, you know, put others before myself sometimes. Um, I just feel like, you know, in life, life's too short to really hold a grudge against things and not be a good person. So my whole philosophy is, you know, if someone needs help, I'm going to help them and if they don't want help, that's totally fine and I'll just like, hold the door for them. But, yeah, so that's kind of my whole purpose in life.

Taylor Dube: What success looks like for me is, you know, being confident and comfortable in what you're doing. Um You know, success is really in the eyes of the beholder if you would say. But honestly, especially for me, in the audiology aspect, um being able to go through a day and just being like, wow, I felt comfortable and confident doing everything. Um I mean, there's always something where I'm like, would I do something a little different here or there or, you know, what other aspects, you know, could I have gone down but taking a step back and being like, I know I did whatever I could have done in that moment to have helped them. Um I think that really is success in my eyes.

Taylor Dube: Three books I would recommend um would have to be one which isn't a book. It's actually a poem. Welcome to Holland. Um It's um a great poem. I highly recommend everyone to read it. Um I cry every time I do, it's about, you know, you think you're going on a plane and getting off in Italy when you actually end up in Holland and it's, you know, you can either kick your feet at the fact that you didn't go to Italy or, you know, you can really enjoy what Holland has to offer. Um I would say it's an amazing poem. Highly recommend reading it. And then number two, it would probably be leave the girls behind. Um I actually just bought it recently at the airport because I forgot my book at home and I just needed a quick little book to like whip through and I would say it's a, it's a great book. Um, a little bit of like a murder mystery type of thing. Um, highly recommend it. And then my third one would probably be, it ends with us. Um It took me a very long time to finally kind of hop on, like, the train of it ends with us and all of those series of books that she's come out with. Um, I, I do really like it though. I still have yet seen the movie because I told myself I was going to finish the book before I watched the movie. Um, so now I can officially watch the movie, which is nice. But, yeah, those would probably be like my top three, like, book slash poem choice. Um, they're kind of like a little bit of everything. I kind of like more of, um, nonfiction when I am reading or True Crime so to speak. Um, but yeah, that would have to be like my top three book recommendations.