Hearing may have turned me down

[derekrobitaille]

Well, I finally applied a couple weeks ago and I had my aptitude test today AND the first part of my medical. The second part of my medical is next Tuesday. I passed the CFAT, but not sure what I got since they won't give the scores out because they don't want anyone to be better than others. They then checked my eyes to see if I was colour blind, checked my pulse and did my blood pressure. That was all good. Then I went for the eye test and passed that with flying colours and right after, I did the hearing test.... This is the thing I knew that would screw me over for sure because I was born with high frequency hearing loss. Anyways, I got out of the booth which was equipped with really crappy headphones and they were very uncomfortable, also you can hear sound if you don't concentrate hard enough because the booth really isn't sound proof and they let you know prior to the test. Oh ya, anyways, I got out of the booth and said "man, I thought I was hearing things" and the doctor (I assume?) said I have "extreme hearing loss".... She pretty much insulted me and said "normal people" hear these tones at 0 decibels and here you are at 10, 20, 30 +... I think I remember seeing 75, 95 and a couple other high numbers in there. I was definitely not expecting this. Anyways, this really sucks, but I don't want to quit on my application because she gave me a medical release form to take to the doctor's so he/she can book me for an appointment with an audiologist I presume so they can then fill out the form and I fax it back to them. For now, I just wait to go to my second part of the medical next Tuesday.

What are your thoughts on this? Can hearing completely terminate your application?

Thanks

Also, sorry if this does not sound too clear, my grammar/puntuation is a lot better than this. It should be since I'm a university student. This situation is a pain.

 

[Fiera]

I would say go to the audiologist. Your hearing may not be as bad as it came through on the test, particularly if you have wax buildup in your ear canals. An audiologist will be able to do a thorough check and offer suggestions as well as provide documentation to the military on your hearing.

It may or may not be a dis-qualifier; that I cannot speak on but at this point I personally wouldn't give up. They haven't outright said no, they've said go see a specialist.

Good luck.

 

[aesop081]

She pretty much insulted me

No, she didn't.

What are your thoughts on this?

You were given a form and told what to do with it. Do it.

Can hearing completely terminate your application?

Yes.

 

[Bart905]

I have a home studio set up and I make/produce/edit vocals and beats. Over the years from my experience is speakers/headphone have a major part of effecting the frequency. It varies from person to person how low or high frequency each person can hear. The volume of the headset will also effect this result . Like Fiera mentioned above go to an audiologist and get it checked out it. I'm off to school rite now but I will do some research on the expectations for the CF on hearing test.  I also would recommend finding a free hearing test online and see how you do. It took me good 2-3 years just to adjust my hearing for me to be able to cut out unwated noise and frequency's to produce a clean mastered audio track. I would also recommend avoiding loud volumes of music , tv or anything in general if you can because this can damage your hearing even more. Just my 2 cents get it check maybe they will be able to help you and from my own experience you can learn to hear some frequency's over a long period of time . I know that sounds silly but since I make music and edit others as a hobby I learned to adjust to some frequency an average person cant hear or wont be able to notice rite away.

In humans the audible range of frequencies is usually said to be 20 Hz (cycles per second) to 20 kHz (20,000 Hz), although there is considerable variation between individuals, especially at the high frequency end, where a gradual decline with age is considered normal.

 

[ModlrMike]

Cue all the non-medical, self appointed experts...

This is the thing I knew that would screw me over for sure because I was born with high frequency hearing loss.

So you have HFHL but it's the CF's fault you didn't score well? You're not getting "screwed over". You have a hearing deficit which may preclude your enrollment.

...the booth which was equipped with really crappy headphones...

The headphones are designed by the audiometer company to match their equipment. Everyone uses the same equipment, so this variable likely doesn't effect the outcome.

...she gave me a medical release form to take to the doctor's so he/she can book me for an appointment with an audiologist...

Then do that, and move on.

 

[GAP]

Ah....another of many future partially deaf people thanks to loud music, especially through headphones, etc....

This will become a very common theme in the next few years.....

 

[medicineman]

I'm going to say this and it may in fact insult you - you come across with an air of superiority and self entitlement.  The way you described how your CFAT went - didn't want anyone to be better than anyone else - wake up...it's an aptitude test, not an entrance exam to MENSA.  Then you describe how you were doing so well until the hearing test and you were handed something that you didn't like - tough.  It's called a screening audiogram for a reason - it screens things to see if there are potential problems that need to be sent for formal testing.  If it comes out normal, you passed the screening...if it doesn't, you get sent for a formal assessment, which  is what you're getting.  The same is done for vision - if you're outside a certain range, you have to see your optometrist for a formal eye exam and come back with your prescription. 

If you have bad enough high frequency loss in several ranges, you won't get into the CF as you don't meet the minimum hearing standards for enrollment...so be prepared.

MM

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

...and I'm locking this until the original poster has some more info for us.
Bruce
Staff