Fall of your third-year (or second-year if you are in a three-year program) can feel overwhelming. As you prepare your externship applications, I hope you find solace in knowing national SAA is here to support you throughout the externship process. Last year as a third-year AuD student, I remember checking the HEARCareers webpage daily for new externship listings, as well as confirming which sites were following the Audiology Clinical Education Network (ACEN) timeline.
If you are getting ready to apply to externships, I highly recommend using HEARCareers to search for potential externship sites. When you navigate to the HEARCareers site, click on the “Externships” tab to see a list of the available externships for the 2025-2026 externship year. You can click on an individual listing to see further details such as salary, setting type, and the specialties offered. HEARCareers is updated frequently with new externship opportunities this time of year. Even if you are not applying to externships this year it is worthwhile to peruse the current listings to help prepare you for an upcoming year.
The Audiology Clinical Education Network, ACEN, has published their timelines for the 2024 and 2025 externship application cycles. Not all externship sites follow the ACEN timeline, but they do have a list of participating externship sites on their website. For those of you applying this year, here are some key dates to mark on your calendar:
- Wednesday, September 18, 2024: Externship Application Deadline
- Monday, September 23, 2024: Interviews begin and initial offers can be extended
- Friday, October 25, 2024, 7:00 pm EST: Final day for interviews and initial offers
- Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 7:00 pm EST: Student response deadline for first-round offerings
- Tuesday, October 29, 2024, after 7:00 pm EST: Reposting unfilled positions on the website
The national SAA has curated a host of other externship resources that are available on our website. One of those resources includes the Academy’s Resume Review Service that is available to all national SAA and Academy members. Navigate to the Resume Review webpage to learn how you can have your resume reviewed by an audiologist before submitting it with your externship applications.
Lastly, for those of you taking the Praxis® in the coming months check to see if you are eligible for a fee waiver. In order to request a few waiver you need to submit a fee waiver request form at least one to two months before you plan to take the exam. Check the Praxis website to see if you are eligible for the fee waiver.
Remember to take a deep breath as you go through this process. It will be over sooner than you think!
Lindee Alvarez
2024-2025 National SAA President
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