Finding an Externship: What to Do and Where to Look

By Lillian Herring

The externship process, including knowing where to start, what to do, and where to look, can feel overwhelming. Both the national Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) and the American Academy of Audiology (the Academy) offer a variety of resources, including interview tips and tricks, opportunities for resume review and curriculum vitae (CV) editing, and externship postings on HEARCareers to help guide you in the process. In addition, it may be helpful to turn to national SAA and Academy members in your network who can offer advice or strategies from their own experiences.

One of the first things you should do before starting the application process is update your resume or CV. If you’re unsure where to start, the SAA has a few resume samples you can refer to. It is vital to ensure these documents are up to date. They should include a list of all your clinical rotations/experiences, your skills and interests, and any positions or jobs you have held while in school. It is not required to include experiences from high school or undergrad; however, if you think it is relevant to the position you are applying for, or made you a better student clinician, you may consider leaving it on your resume.

After updating your resume/CV, you can submit it to your school or university program. Many schools have a department that will help you tailor your resume and make edits and updates. The Academy also offers national SAA members a free Resume Review Service as part of their member benefits. You can use this resume review service and it will be sent to an audiologist to review and make suggestions. While your university’s resources can prove valuable, an audiologist will be knowledgeable about what stands out and what is beneficial for externship applications in particular. The process does not take long and can be a great help when you are completing applications for externships, jobs, and other audiology positions. More information can be found on the national SAA website under Resume Review.

Two options for looking for externships include the Academy’s career center, HEARCareers, and the Audiology Clinical Education Network (ACEN) website. Both of these websites list different available externship opportunities across the country and in a wide range of specialties. It is important to check whether or not you will be applying to the program directly, or if your university will provide an advisor who will send in all of your applications in your place. If the latter applies to your program, you will need to research ahead of time which externship programs you would like to apply to, review application requirements, then gather those materials to send to your advisor well before the due date.

The ACEN has created a timeline that many externship sites are opting to follow. You can find more details on the specific dates for the ACEN website. The main thing is to do your research on various externship programs and stay open-minded to new opportunities. With any application, it is important to check on the specific site requirements, including the number of recommendation letters and types of documents (i.e., resume, transcript, personal statement) required. A spreadsheet can be very helpful to keep track of deadlines and application requirements!

After you apply to different externship sites, you will need to be prepared for interviews. It is essential to research the site you are interviewing for ahead of time to better understand their specific offerings. I found it helpful to practice basic interview questions with friends in order to be more prepared. We also discussed different audiology questions to ensure we could discuss audiological results, case histories, and patient recommendations. While audiology-specific questions may be scary, by studying your notes and talking through challenging topics with others, you will feel more confident during your interviews.

Externship applications and interviews can be intimidating, but it is important to remember that your hard work has prepared you for this moment. Use your resources like the SAA Externship Resources page, which includes survey results and other important information, and also reach out for help if you need it.

Remember that you’ve got this!