Giving sound back: Changing lives at Blue Wave Hearing Centers
Dr. Megan Bruce loves her chosen profession as an audiologist because when she fits someone with hearing aids, the restoration of hearing is instant and life changing. “When you give someone sound back, they have a larger sense of independence and autonomy, and even feel younger,” she said. A recent graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Megan is proud to have earned her doctoral degree in audiology.
Before coming to Northwest Arkansas, Megan worked as an intern at two prominent audiology and surgery centers in Omaha. She moved to Northwest Arkansas as part of a church plant for Great Commission Churches and began her 12-month externship at Blue Wave Hearing Center in May of 2018. After graduating with her doctorate in Audiology last month, Megan plans to continue her work at Blue Wave Hearing Centers of Bentonville. “I love working at Blue Wave,” she said. “I like the ability of being autonomous, seeing my own patients and being trusted for my decisions.” Megan also is happy to work for a company that’s passionate about community outreach. “Blue Wave doctors volunteer their time at assisted living facilities and give free educational seminars on the importance of hearing and brain health, as untreated hearing loss is associated with dementia.” It’s important to relay to the public that hearing loss is just as important as vision loss. “Hearing aids are preventative.”
Dr. Molly Jean Dillon, audiologist and owner of Blue Wave Hearing Centers, praises Megan’s aptitude “for learning new information at a rapid pace, but most impressive is her ability to seamlessly apply this information during daily clinical rotations. Her ability to connect with patients is something that cannot be taught. Any person who wishes to learn more about their hearing would be well advised to seek out Dr. Bruce; she’s on the cutting edge of research and technology.”
Hearing loss is most prevalent in patients over 50, and “people tend to wait until the loss gets too advanced,” Megan explained. “But at that point your brain is starting to be affected. Even when you get sound back, your brain doesn’t know how to handle it anymore, so we’re trying to educate people that if they keep waiting, it may eventually be too late.”
In a family studies class Megan took as an undergrad, she learned that “families work best when there’s communication. Part of that is human behavior, being willing to speak and listen and understand someone’s love language. But the other part is whether someone can physically hear you or not,” she pointed out. “I’ve seen lots of couples come in—one spouse complaining that the other person doesn’t hear anymore — it’s hard to go out and socialize because they can no longer hear or participate.”
Proud to be a part of the Test Drive movement, Dr. Megan Bruce will allow her patients to try hearing technology free for one month, with no deposit or commitment. Megan is passionate about changing lives, and the test drive process allows everyone the opportunity to regain their sense of independence through better hearing. To schedule your free consultation and test drive with Dr. Megan Bruce, call 479-254-0011, or visit www.BlueWaveHearing.com, or 1501 SE Walton Blvd, Ste 119 in Bentonville.