9-05-2024 10:57pm

Work With Newborns Opens New Career Paths For UC Senior

Beth Callahan Editor

Submitted photo of Sam Kroeger, University of Cincinnati student

Written and Submitted by Kyle Shaner

MASON, OH -- Working as a newborn hearing screener at a local hospital, University of Cincinnati student Sam Kroeger has found rewarding work that’s opened his mind to new career opportunities.

Kroeger, who is entering his fourth year in the speech language hearing sciences program at UC’s College of Allied Health Sciences (CAHS), expected his future career to involve working at an outpatient audiology clinic, performing hearing tests and prescribing hearing aids. But his experience-based learning has introduced him to a wider range of job possibilities.

“It wasn’t really a population I had considered before,” the senior from Mason, Ohio, said. “I wanted to push myself and see a whole other world. I never really saw myself working with kids, especially babies that young, so I wanted to see if it would interest me. It’s been a really cool experience and something I could see myself continuing to do work with in the future.”

Kroeger wasn’t actively seeking a job when a faculty member from CAHS recommended him for the position, a job he’s held since the spring.

In his field, interacting with patients typically requires credentials, so work experience as an undergraduate student can be hard to find. When the opportunity came up, he was excited to get hands-on experience in a health care setting.

“I knew I wanted to go into audiology, and I knew I wanted to go to grad school, but I wasn’t really sure what setting I wanted to be in,” said Kroeger, who is the president of the College of Allied Health Sciences Ambassadors, the academic chair for Theta Chi, the speech language hearing sciences representative on the College of Allied Health Sciences Tribunal, a member of the Student Alumni Council and a member of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association.

The Ohio Department of Health mandates that all newborns undergo a hearing screening before leaving a hospital or birthing center.

These initial hearing screenings do not diagnose hearing loss, but they do identify newborns who need more comprehensive diagnostic evaluations. Early identification and intervention are key components for speech and language development.

One of the most valuable parts of his job, Kroeger said, has been getting to work directly with patients and communicate with their families.

“As a newborn hearing screener, I am expected to provide results and make recommendations for audiologic follow-up,” he said. “That’s been a skill I’ve seen myself develop, to be able to make clear recommendations and explain the results.”

Kroeger, who is minoring in Spanish and pursuing a Certificate of Spanish for Service Learning in Social Work and Health Care, has been able to serve a diverse and multicultural population.

“We serve people from all kinds of backgrounds,” he said. “I think it’s so important that everybody gets the care they need.”