Message from the President

Undoubtably, each of us has at one time or another set goals or resolutions. Personal or professional, they have probably risen from reflecting on past experiences and short comings. Historically, most choose the beginning of the calendar year for this activity. I am no different in this regard. Last year, PAA met some goals and failed to meet others. Our conference was well attended and surpassed previous conventions records. Through our members' generosity, we were able to raise a significant amount of funds to support our lobbying efforts, and help our general fund. Where we fell short, unfortunately, was increasing our membership numbers. And while we moved, and passed, our Senate Bill to update audiology licensure requirements, the House ran out of time to pass it through on their side.

For those who know me, I am a realistic optimist. It is nice to set goals, but it takes effort to complete anything worthwhile. When an elected leader of a volunteer organization sets goals and direction, the achievement of these goals relies heavily on the members.

I would like to propose three obtainable goals for our organization to achieve this year:

1. First, I would like to have every active member contact their Senator and House Representative during this legislative session. This is a completely achievable and worthwhile goal for every practicing Audiologist in Pennsylvania. Even if you are tired of "politics," your voice is actually very important and the legislators need to be reminded what they were elected to do.
2. Second, I would like every member to recruit a new member to join PAA. This can be a student, or someone who has left their membership lapse. You understand the importance of membership in an organization that provides a home dedicated to the needs of Audiologists in Pennsylvania, its time to let others in on the secret.
3. As for the third goal, well, I could ask for everyone to donate to PAA-PAC, or attend convention or the cerumen management workshop. I could ask for volunteers to serve on committees or run for a board position. I could ask a lot of things. Instead, I will leave the third professional goal up to you to set and to achieve. I look forward to hearing from you when you achieve whatever you decide to go after.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." ~Winston Churchill

Here is to continued success in 2013!

Bre Myers, AuD
President of the Pennsylvania Academy of Audiology
January 8, 2013

Save the Date!

20th Annual PAA Convention
Harrisburg Hilton
Thursday and Friday
September 26–27, 2013

"What PAA Means to Me" by Suzanne Yoder

I believe Pennsylvania needs an audiology home.  In order to best serve audiologists, an organization must first represent audiologists.  The Pennsylvania Academy of Audiology (PAA) strives to be this home by addressing issues that we care about.  PAA is the driving force behind improving the state licensure to represent our current level of expertise and to allow us to practice our full scope of practice as we have been trained to do.  PAA is also working with OVR, medical assistance and other state agencies to improve on our claims processes and reimbursement scales.  PAA is lobbying in Harrisburg for the issues our membership cares about.  These are just a few reasons I choose to support PAA, but more membership is needed to make a difference.  We need to represent the current audiology workforce in PA in order to make the biggest impact.  WE NEED YOU! Go to www.paaudiology.org to learn more and to find online membership applications.

Other Benefits:

• CEU opportunities: Centrally located annual conventions.
• Routine membership surveys to make sure we are meeting your needs.
• Networking opportunities
• Exhibit halls
• Lobbying events in Harrisburg
• Online resources:  Directory, Legislative issues, Consumer search engine, & Listserv

If you are already of member and would like to share what PAA means to you please email Suzanne Yoder at DrYoder@hearwellcenter.com.

"Showing Up" by Kris English, AAA President

In the last three months, I’ve been privileged to visit state academies in Florida, California, Colorado, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Texas. Although each state has its unique challenges, they also share this common concern: only about 20 percent of the audiologists in each state belong to the state chapter. In other times
in our history, that might not have been particularly worrisome. But in this era, when our scope of practice is under direct attack at the state licensure level, our state leaders want to speak for us from a position of strength. They want to report they represent most audiologists, not a small handful of audiologists.

What would help the other 80 percent show up? If there is a fear of being tapped for volunteerism, don’t worry, that’s not what I’m suggesting. Not everyone can show up “in person,” as it were, but there’s always a way to show up “in spirit:” simply by becoming a dues-paying member.

These are challenging economic times, and it’s certainly reasonable to ask, “What do I get for these dues?” That’s a fair question, and the answer often includes tangibles such as valuable CE opportunities. But the core value of professionalism takes us further, to ask an additional question: “What does my profession need from me?” It’s not the usual way we operate in this world, but it does demonstrate the difference
between a job and a profession: our obligation to give back.

Right now, what state organizations need is numbers. They need every audiologist to be counted as a member. They cannot speak for you if you are not on their roster. They may not be able to protect your scope of practice if you don’t show up for them. We’ve all heard the Woody Allen line that 90 percent of work involves showing up—and it makes us laugh because showing up is the least one can do. What if 90
percent of audiologists show up for this work, by becoming members of one’s state organization? It’s the least we can do, and yet licensure boards would have to listen.