Southern Miss Audiology Clinic provided free hearing screening on March 2 for World Hearing Day, which was on March 3. The hearing screening was provided by students, who let the patient know if they needed to follow up.
World Hearing Day is observed annually on March 3 to raise global awareness about preventing deafness and hearing loss while promoting ear and hearing care. Organized by the World Health Organization since 2007, the date “3.3” was specifically chosen because the numbers represent the shape of two ears.
The theme for World Hearing Day 2026 was “From communities to classrooms: hearing care for all children.” The campaign focused on identifying and preventing avoidable childhood hearing loss. Southern Miss exemplified this theme by offering free hearing screenings to people to determine if they need specialized services.
The free screenings helped students, along with the people who used the service. According to Dr. Stephen Williams, the audiology clinic coordinator, the screenings were meant for student training, in addition to spreading awareness and helping people.
“As a teaching clinic, a part of our goal today is to help students get the opportunity to do screenings and help facilitate learning,” Williams said. “It is also a good opportunity for the public to have access to hearing exams to see if there is anything they should be concerned about.”
Williams commented that people tend to avoid hearing exams because of cost and time constraints. He added that when screenings are tied to a special event like World Hearing Day, it serves as an incentive for people to care about it more.
The students who were providing the screenings also shared that they had a positive experience. They explained that getting to apply the knowledge they learned in their classrooms helped prepare them for when they graduate and start working.
“We get to have classes and the clinic within the same building, so it has been great to learn everything we need to learn and apply,” said Madeline Fountain, a student who was providing screenings. “It has been a great practice.”
“The hearing screenings are a little more relaxed,” said Kanasia Harris, another student who was providing hearing screenings. “It allows the first-year students to get a feel of testing and rote memory.”
The hearing screenings were tested at a normal hearing level, and the patients either passed or failed the screening. The patients who failed the screening were recommended to make an appointment with a specialist to diagnose their condition.
“We encourage people to seek annual care just to make sure that their hearing health is fine,” Harris said.
The students also commented on the program raising awareness. Fountain mentioned that they also raised awareness about hearing health and the need to see audiologists just as much as other doctors to the people who utilized the free screenings.
The USM audiology clinic provides free hearing screenings every year on World Hearing Day.
