Purpose Simulation is a tool commonly used in the clinical training of students within the health professions fields, such as medicine and nursing. The effectiveness of simulation as a teaching technique has been extensively documented in numerous health care professions; however, little is known about the effectiveness of simulation techniques in audiology education. This study assesses the effectiveness of a simulation activity focused on auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing conducted with students of an applied doctoral program in audiology. Method Twelve 2nd year audiology graduate students enrolled in the auditory electrophysiology course at Towson University in Fall 2018 participated in this pre–post study. Over a 3-week period, each student (a) received didactic instruction in ABR testing, (b) underwent a presimulation exercise skills assessment, (c) participated in a simulation exercise, and (d) underwent a postsimulation exercise skills assessment. Results Significant improvements were observed in clinical skill level for the ABR tasks evaluated in terms of both accuracy and efficiency (time in seconds needed to complete the task). The tasks evaluated included skin preparation, identification of scalp electrode placement sites, and scalp electrode placement in a variety of configurations (single- and two-channel arrays, horizontal and vertical electrode montages). Benefits associated with simulation-based instruction varied by clinical skill as well as by student. Conclusions The data described in this study reinforce the need to incorporate simulation in audiology training programs, especially for complex clinical skills. It also emphasizes the need for additional research that can be useful in the design and implementation of simulation-based exercises.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the experiences and opinions of clinical educators from various allied health care fields, including audiology, related to the use of simulation as a teaching technique and determine the status of clinical simulation techniques in training audiology graduate students nationwide. Method An interview was conducted with nine faculty members in the College of Health Professions at Towson University to discuss advantages and challenges of incorporating clinical simulation techniques into student learning. A thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview responses. Additionally, a web-based questionnaire was sent to all audiology graduate program directors nationwide, yielding a response rate of 63%. These data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Interview responses revealed a number of benefits and barriers related to simulation use at the graduate level. Benefits included its use as a learning tool, a quality control measure, and an aid in professional development. It also increases students' confidence levels in clinical procedures and counseling skills and exposes them to a variety of clinical pathologies not routinely seen. Barriers included lack of training with simulators, lack of funding to purchase simulator technology, and lack of resources, such as time and space. At present, only 50% of audiology program directors reported using clinical simulation to train their students. Conclusions The field of audiology is embracing simulation techniques in training its preprofessional work force. To date, there has been limited guidance from professional organizations regarding the role of simulation in audiology. Additional assistance focusing on best practices for these techniques is warranted.