Question
I work with an audiologist who is 74 years old, and during the day dozes off to sleep snoring loudly for the whole clinic to hear. I've seen him many times doze off during testing (him doing the testing). It's very embarrassing for me and the rest of the ENT Clinic staff because at times when there are patients waiting outside in the waiting area and he dozes off, the patients waiting outside can hear him snore. At one time our Department Chief brought a patient in for testing and caught him with his feet up on a stool with his mouth open wide and snoring loudly. Our Chief never said anything to the audiologist about it but was embarrassed. What should be done about this? Is it fair to earn a full day's pay when you know you were sleeping on the job? Could this be a violation of the code of ethics?
Answer
It sounds like the proverbial "elephant in the room:" everyone knows there is a problem but no one is addressing it. But of course, just because a situation is difficult doesn't mean it should be ignored.
If you are able to have a candid conversation with your Chief, let him/her know your concerns. Say exactly what you said to us here. Those in charge are paid the "big bucks" for making hard calls, and in this instance, the call might mean using performance review measures to document how that the audiologist is not meeting his responsibilities (work output or whatever else is measured). An objective way to describe problems helps keep the situation from feeling like a personal attack.
To bolster the case, one could collect input with "quality control" questionnaires, which ask patients about their impressions of their experience at the clinic. If patients are given a chance to report their reactions to hearing snoring, etc., the audiologist should see for himself that this is not an acceptable situation.
Good luck, and keep asking the Chief to do his/her job before a patient files a complaint.
Kris English is an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh, and a faculty member of the Central Michigan/Vanderbilt Univ. Distance AuD Program. She has given more than 100 presentations on the topic of audiologic counseling, and has written extensively on the topic, including a textbook co-authored with John Greer Clark entitled "Audiologic Counseling: Helping Patients and Families Adjust to Hearing Loss."
Kris English, PhD
professor at the University of Akron/NOAC
Kris English, Ph.D., earned her doctorate from San Diego State/Claremont Graduate Universities in 1993, and is a professor at the University of Akron/NOAC. She has authored, co-authored or edited 6 books and 19 chapters, and has presented over 200 workshops and papers in the US, Canada, and Europe, primarily on the topic of audiologic counseling. She recently completed 5 years of service as a Board member for the American Academy of Audiology, including a term as President in 2009-2010. none
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