Shaping the Future of Audiology, One Student at a Time

Author: Sandra Lee (BA, BSci, MClAud CCP), Victorian Hearing Audiologist

At Victorian Hearing, we believe the next generation of audiologists deserves more than clinical hours. They deserve mentorship grounded in ethics, passion, and a genuine love for the patients in front of them.

Independent clinics carry a responsibility that goes beyond appointments and fittings. As a proudly independent hearing clinic in Melbourne, Victorian Hearing has always held the standard of best practice as something to live out every single day with patient centered care to hear well and live well at our core. Part of living that standard means investing deeply in the professionals who will carry audiology forward.

Clinical ethical education is not a checkbox. It is the foundation upon which good audiologists become great ones. Ethics in our field touches everything: how we counsel patients facing life-changing hearing loss, how we communicate with families, how we navigate competing pressures to do what is right over what is easy. Teaching that, really teaching it, requires more than a lecture theatre. It requires experienced clinicians who model it in real time, in real clinical encounters. Victorian Hearing has been excited and honoured to partner with Flinders University and La Trobe University to enable this.

We don’t just train students to fit hearing aids. We train them to sit with a patient’s story, honour their autonomy, and make decisions they’d be proud of in ten years.

Standing on the Shoulders of Extraordinary Educators

Victorian Hearing is fortunate to have within its walls audiologists who have shaped the profession at a formative level. Our clinicians Keith Chittleborough, Patrice Lockwood and Sandra Lee all have dedicated years of their careers to educating the next cohort of audiologists, participated in educational programs and mentoring students through the complexity of clinical decision-making. Both Keith and Sandra have previously been presenters at the Australia wide audiology conference Sound Exchange, and Patrice has a long history working with a manufacturer to educate and train fellow audiologists in hearing aid technology. Surrounded by peers and emerging practitioners, they brought a warmth, rigour, and intellectual generosity that is increasingly rare in any profession.

That culture of mentorship doesn’t stay in the conference room. It lives in the way our team approaches every student placement. We welcome students not as helpers but as future colleagues, people whose questions sharpen our own thinking, whose fresh eyes remind us why we chose this field.

A Student Who Came for Hours, Left With a Whole New Lens

This year, we had the privilege of hosting a master’s student Laura Cumings from Adelaide who made the journey to Melbourne CBD specifically for her clinical placement hours. What she found here, we hope, was something she didn’t fully expect. Below is her end of placement reflection.

As a mere student from Adelaide, I packed my bags and drove all the way to Melbourne CBD just to hunt down hours for my master’s degree. Little did I know, I’d end up gaining a whole new perspective on audiology… and maybe a few grey hairs from Melbourne’s public transport.

Huge shout out to Liam and Keith, who saw me grow the most during my placement, and to everyone else in between who took me under their wing. The team here is fiercely passionate, delightfully edgy, and incredibly talented. Honestly, every single audiologist I met has an amazing backstory and a genuine heart for their patients.

Now that I’m back in Adelaide, the whole experience feels like a wild, hearing aid infused, fever dream. I’m so grateful for the laughs and the mentorship!

I have a strong feeling this isn’t the last time you’ll see me!

Until next time, Victorian Hearing!

That reflection captures something we hold dear: audiology at its best is not transactional. Every audiologist on our team carries their own remarkable story. Their own reasons for choosing a profession dedicated to one of the most quietly profound senses a person has. When students step into that environment, something shifts in them. We see it every time.

Victorian Hearing will continue to partner with universities, to invest in their ethical formation and to champion the kind of clinical education that produces audiologists who are as thoughtful as they are skilled. Because the patients of tomorrow deserve nothing less and frankly, neither does the profession we love.

If you have been delaying a hearing test lately, now is the perfect time to act because the sooner you understand your hearing, the sooner you can protect it. At Victorian Hearing, you’ll be seen by clinicians who genuinely care, who take the time to understand your life, and who hold themselves to the highest ethical and clinical standards. No pressure. Just honest, expert care from people who love what they do.

To learn more about our hearing services and ear health solutions, visit the Victorian Hearing. If you’re ready to book an appointment or speak with our experienced team, get in touch through our Contact Us page today.