Clinic for Dizziness and Balance
Evaluation of the Dizzy Patient: A Transdiciplinary Approach
Audiologists have been involved for a long time in the evaluation of the dizzy patient because of their knowledge of the inner ear. This dual-sensory organ not only processes acoustic information but processes motion information as well. However, many times the underlying cause of the dizziness is a disagreement among the three main systems controlling our balance; vestibular function (inner ear), proprioception, and vision. A thorough evaluation of the dizzy patient often includes evaluation of ALL of these systems how the brain organizes the information to maintain balance. While the audiologists are typically well-trained 
on the function of the inner ear, proprioception and sensory organization are much more a focus in physical therapy.
The audiology and physical therapy programs at Idaho State University have formed a transdisciplinary clinic for the purpose of evaluating dizziness and balance. Students and clinic supervisors see each patient at the same time. This approach allows each discipline to learn from the other; collaborate on the evaluation of a patient; and provide the patient with high-quality care.
Audiology students start seeing patients in this clinic in the beginning of their second year. They will typically log about 80 patient contact hours before beginning clinical rotations in their third year.