University of Washington LEND & Seattle Children’s Hospital Pediatric Audiology Externship

The University of Washington (UW) and Seattle Children’s Hospital (SCH) have merged their fourth-year pediatric audiology externships into a unified clinical training program. This comprehensive, joint 12-month program offers graduate clinicians extensive, well-rounded exposure to family-centered pediatric audiological carein a variety of clinical settings as well as professional leadership training through the LEND program.

Highly motivated individuals who are passionate about pediatric audiology, collaborative care, and clinical excellence are invited to apply. Candidates mustdemonstrateeffective communication, maturity, responsibility, andalignmentwiththecore values of compassion, excellence, innovation, collaboration, equity, and integrity.

The externship experience is divided dynamically among the University of Washington Institute on Human Development and Disability (IHDD) and Seattle Children’s Hospital (SCH). SCH and IHDD are 2 miles away from one another, both closely located near the University of Washington's main campus.

SCH is an academic medical center serving patients from across Washington, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho from birth to age 21. Externs will actively rotate through the main hospital campus in Seattle with opportunities to experience care in our regional clinics located in Bellevue and Everett. Our care teams work directly with patients scheduled in Audiology Clinic as well as those referred from specialized teams including Otolaryngology, Craniofacial, Cancer & Blood Disorders, and inpatient medical services.

UW Institute on Human Development and Disability (IHDD) is located at the UW Medical Center. IHDD offers comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic services to infants, children, adolescents, and young adults with complex needs. Externs fully participate within outpatient teams focusing on neurodevelopmental disabilities and special health requirements, including the Child Development Clinic, Infant Development Follow-up Clinic, Down Syndrome Specialty Clinic, and Cardiac Neurodevelopment Clinic.

A foundationalcomponentof this merged position is formal enrollment in the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program.

Leadership skills are built systematically through weekly LEND seminars, didactic coursework, community advocacy projects, and a dedicated, mentored leadership project.

Audiology externs study alongside and collaborate with graduate-level trainees from multiple health disciplines, including speech-language pathology, psychology, social work, physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, genetics, nutrition, and developmental pediatrics.

Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited program. All required coursework and clinical placements must be successfully completed prior to beginning the externship, with high academic standingmaintainedthroughout the application cycle.

Externship Information Primary Practice Setting

• Hospital
• Other
• University specialty clinic

Number of Audiologists at the site

• 3 FTE Masters Degree
• 22 FTE Au.D.
• 1 FTE Ph.D.
• 0 FTE Other Doctorate (ScD)
• 9 FTE professional support staff (technicians/audiometric assistants)
• 0 FTE Clerical Support Staff

Number of Audiology Students each year

• 0 1st year AuD Clinical Rotations
• 0 2nd year
• 3 3rd year
• 2 4th year Externships

Financial arrangements

Stipend

Will interview travel be compensated?

No

Vacation Days

~10 + holidays

Continuing education opportunities?

• Yes
• Trainees are encouraged to attend institutional educational offerings and are provided support to attend the national Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) conference.

Start Date

June 2027

Expected hours/days a week

40

Travel to satellite centers required?

Yes

Externs are required to spend time at IHDD, located near UW Medical Center, and at Seattle Children's Hospital. Clinics are located a little over 2 miles from each other. Externs will have the opportunity to rotate through regional Seattle Children's locations.

Local students preferred

No

Does the externship site provide orientation to relevant clinical policies and procedures?

Yes

Does the externship site provide instructions about patient's rights and providing patient education?

Yes

Does the externship site provide orientation to quality assessment, quality assurance and quality improvement?

Yes

Externship site expects the extern to have mastered these skills before they begin their clinical externship

• Pediatric Foundation:
  Solid diagnostic baseline skills, including the successful completion of at least one dedicated pediatric clinical rotation. A completed clinical rotation in early intervention is highly preferred.
• Technical Knowledge: A working knowledge of brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER/A ) testing, otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), hearing device selection, and age-appropriate behavioral assessment protocols.
• Cultural Competence:
  Experience demonstrating a commitment to culturally competent, family-centered partnership models within care management.

Externship site expects the extern to…