D. program is to produce audiologists who are functionally competent in providing the wide array of diagnostic, remedial and other skills and services associated with the practice of audiology. Hence, there is major emphasis on the clinical learning experience. D. degree programs should be organized and implemented within sponsoring institutions, such as colleges and universities, that will provide for an independent school and faculty and should be constituted similar in nature to the degree programs which grant doctorates in other professions, such as dentistry, medicine, optometry, veterinary medicine, etc. Traditional graduate programs are structured to grant academic doctorates rather than professional doctorates. D. programs should be administered whenever possible independent of existing graduate school programs.
Considerable responsibility falls upon the clinical and academic faculty.
It must be large and diverse enough to represent to the student-practitioners the leading edge of hearing care skills and services. Didactic instruction should focus on direct application of audiological sciences to hearing care needs. The Clinical Training Program The Au. D. educational process assumes development of broadly based clinical rotations based on substantive academic achievement. Student-practitioners should be exposed extensively to diverse and challenging clinical populations.