Author Archives: AU Bankaitis

About AU Bankaitis

A.U. Bankaitis, PhD is a clinical Audiologist with extensive clinical, research, and business experience within the hearing industry. She is Vice President of Oaktree Products, a multi-line distributor of audiology supplies and screening/diagnostic test equipment. Dr. Bankaitis created this blog to educate her colleagues and providers in the hearing health care industry on viable product solutions for their patients and/or clinical practice.

Magic Number Now is #1760!

Posted on April 5, 2011 by AU Bankaitis

It’s time again for AudiologyNOW! and the magic number is #1760.  Why is this the magic number?  Each individual number in the series holds significance as it pertains to the American Academy of Audiology’s annual meeting known as AudiologyNOW! For example, the number … Continue reading →

Posted in Audiology | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

New Product for Caregivers & Parents to Perform BAHA Soundcheck

Posted on March 31, 2011 by AU Bankaitis

As with conventional hearing instruments, performing a general listening check on a bone anchored hearing aid (BAHA) represents an essential task for assessing whether the device may be working properly. Unfortunately, performing a quick listening check on a BAHA has not been as straightforward as performing the … Continue reading →

Posted in Tools & Accessories | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Better Hearing Institute is a great Resource!

Posted on March 29, 2011 by AU Bankaitis

For audiologists in clinical or private practice, available resources addressing various aspects of audiology are readily available and accessible via the Better Hearing Institute’s (BHI) website. The BHI is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to educating the public about hearing loss.  They have a wonderful website … Continue reading →

Posted in Audiology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

How Many Audiologists Does it take to Change a Bulb?

Posted on March 24, 2011 by AU Bankaitis

How many audiologists does it take to change the bulb of a full-size otoscope? The answer is one experienced audiologist.  If you never had to change out a bulb, you may believe that it takes a village of audiologists just to find the … Continue reading →

Posted in Otoscopes, Headlamps & Earlights | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Suction Tube Connection Clarification

Posted on March 22, 2011 by AU Bankaitis

The Pro-Power Vacuum Aspirator is a suction pump designed for both cleaning debris from hearing instruments and cerumen removal from the external auditory canal. Since product packaging only includes special tools for cleaning hearing instruments, it may not be immediately evident how to set up the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cerumen Management | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Interfacing Amplified Stethoscopes with Hearing Aids: New Thoughts

Posted on March 17, 2011 by AU Bankaitis

The E-Scope II is an amplified stethoscope that is available in a stand-alone version (i.e. for non-hearing instrument wearers) and in several modified models specifically designed to interface with hearing instruments. The modified versions of the E-Scope II will look exactly like the … Continue reading →

Posted in Amplified Stethoscopes | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Spring forward to Otoscope Upgrades

Posted on March 15, 2011 by AU Bankaitis

With all your clocks moved an hour ahead and fresh batteries placed in your home smoke detectors, do a little spring cleaning at work and see if an otoscope handle upgrade makes sense.  For those of you who have been using the rechargeable … Continue reading →

Posted in Otoscopes, Headlamps & Earlights | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Spring forward to Otoscope Upgrades

Happy Birthday To You!

Posted on March 10, 2011 by AU Bankaitis

Since today is my birthday, I thought I would turn the tables and provide blog followers with some audiology gifts available with just a few clicks of your mouse! For those of you struggling to put together your infection control … Continue reading →

Posted in Audiology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Happy Birthday To You!