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EMS/paramedic hearing aid users - how do you deal?

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Hi all,

I’m an almost-life-long user (got my first ReSound at 8 years old). I’ve developed a ton of strategies and hacks for navigating audio input over the course of this. My biggest challenge right now is being a new paramedic with hearing loss.

There is a lot I need to catch in noisy, chaotic and rapidly changing environments. I’m specifically interested in connecting with anyone else in the field who has dealt with this, and what your strategies have been to help other coworkers and patients communicate more clearly with you. In some ways, being a paramedic is easier than being an EMT, because I’m more often giving instead of receiving communication/orders; and when it comes to patient assessment, there is nothing audio that I could miss that would lead to a poor outcome (I use the Eko Core scope wirelessly bluetoothed to my hearing aids, and it works rapidly and more efficiently than an ear stethoscope most times).
Gathering history and catching all the communication on scene is the trickiest part.

How have other folks dealt with this?

Open to talking about new aids as well. I just got the Signia Pure Charge&Go, which has more automatic dimming and directionality than I’m used to, coming from Resound Linx, which I had turned off most of the auto-dampening features as I was used to picking out voices amidst the noise and just boosting everything, which I’m told is fairly typical for former pediatric patients. These seem like they’re probably protecting my hearing better from highway noise, engines, etc, but it’s still startling to step out next to an engine and hear everything quiet down, including the captain I’m trying to talk to.

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Thank you, I so appreciate this! I searched “paramedic” in the forum before I first posted this (along with several variations) and somehow this didn’t come up!

Edited

Been a Paramedic for 33 years with hearing aids for just over 10 years. I am weaing Starkey Genesis 24 now and have been using them for approximately 6 months. Was fortunate to trial 4 other aids for 60 to 90 days each. One feature I like about the genesis is that when on scene if in a noisy chaotic environment I can just double tap my ear and it switches into Edge mode which analyzes the environment and helps me get through. I also use electronic stethoscopes but started before bluetooth right to the device was available so I am used to using ear tips with my domes. The advantage to this is that I do not have to pull my phone out to get to Eko program. That said I mainly use the CORE as a back up for my 3100 as it had replacable batteries.

I just bought my Signia so I’m out of money to make a switch to these, although they do sound intriguing. I am curious if you have any social tips and hacks to make your way through these environments? For example, I got permission to sew “hard of hearing” patches onto my uniforms so people behind me don’t think I’m ignoring them and know to come up and tap me on the shoulder.

I had Oticon OPNs before the Genesis and purchased them due to the 360 environment. I still do first response in a small community till transport vehicles get there but mostly do community paramedic work so it is an easier environment to work in when by yourself. I always had no problem during assessments to ask the person to please focus on me so that I can better understand you do to a hearing disability, Most patients were more than willing to do this. Also I had a great partner for over 15 years that had my back, let me do what I needed to do while he provided scene support.

Signia promised to behave well in a dynamic environment, but I find that if I’m focusing on the patient I lose other things outside (we respond with the fire department in an urban/suburban area that also covers a wide rural range), such as other responders on scene trying to throw me information. It also dims things overall in a way that I’m not used to if I’m standing next to things like a loud engine (because I was a pediatric patient and grew up used to analog all-around boost, I guess, from what I’ve gleaned reading here).

And it doesn’t help that I’m a new paramedic, so I don’t yet have the body of experience that will help my hearing by letting me predict, to a certain degree, what I’m walking into. I don’t have a permanent partner yet; I’m hoping I’ll get someone like you’ve had. That’s truly the biggest asset.

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