I am employed!

At least for my first year of grad school, I had planned to not work so I could focus on my studies and get used to a new atmosphere. Well, lately, I have been very concerned about the financial aspect; seeing money go out of my account while nothing is coming in! So, I applied for a couple of great jobs that came my way and both related to my field of study which is even better.

The first was a research assistantship position at Boys Town National Research Hospital for 2-3 years. It would be a lot of 'gopher' work and require a lot of time-20 hours a week plus an hour of driving time each way. However, I would be helping out with research, at a wonderful institution and in the Cochlear Implant Lab, which is my interest!... Too bad I didn't get that job.

No worries though because I did get a job working for the state of Nebraska, in Lincoln (only 2 miles from my apartment!). This is a temporary position, 1 year, BUT I have been told that I can work this position for 3 years; there are some technicalities that would have to be worked out.

My responsibilities at Nebraska Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program as

a Community Healthcare Educator:

For anyone who has had babies, you would know that your baby gets a Universal, Newborn Hearing Screening 24-48 hours after birth. This test is a pass or fail screening. All of this data would be sent to my location, my team, where we keep track of which babies pass or fail and put it into the state's data system. Then, we contact physicians and families to make sure the appropriate information and follow-up procedures are administered. Basically, we want to ensure that there aren't any children who fall through the cracks and don't receive assistance. Of course there are complications with this as well. Although the hearing screenings are wonderful and help provide early detection and intervention, some hearing losses may not be detected due to the type or the time of onset. Also, some parents don't continue to see the physicians or understand the consequences for failure to follow up. It is our team's duty to find these individuals and make sure they have adequate information to make the best decisions based on their child's possible or diagnosed hearing loss.

I will be starting my job the first part of October and I am very excited! Wish me luck!