Vitals School of Health Professions
Better Than a Cigarette Butt
“Cigarette butts and empty gun shells were some of the only hearing precautions my uncle had during the Vietnam War,” said Nathan Ortiz, AuD, CCC-A, (Health Professions ’14). “When soldiers would hear whistling bombs approaching, they would find anything they could to shove in their ears and brace for the inevitable sound that came after.”

As a TTUHSC audiology student, Ortiz met Joseph Pratt, AuD, CCC-A, (Health Professions ’13). They quickly bonded over their shared goal of military service. After earning their doctorate degrees, both men were commissioned as audiologists in the U.S. Navy.

As clinical audiologists, a significant aspect of their job was hearing conservation, a practice area that attracts only 5% of audiologists. After seeing 18- and 19-year-olds with life-altering hearing loss, Ortiz and Pratt became even more passionate about auditory preservation.

Pratt’s role for the Department of Defense in San Diego, California, made him responsible for one of the largest hearing conservation programs in the country. A few years later, Ortiz did the same on the East Coast. Their duties were vast — from surveying shore and offshore commands for hearing conservation compliance, mentoring hospital corpsmen, and traveling to remote areas of the globe to provide hearing conservation services.

Both men planned to move to central Texas with their families after their service. Pratt reached out for job leads and found a conservation company in San Antonio, Texas. Turns out, it was owned by a veteran who was planning to retire.

Today, they co-own and operate Precision Hearing Conservation, a nationwide, private consulting firm. Their work keeps companies compliant with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.  

“If you can prevent noise-induced hearing loss, not only does it maintain someone’s quality of life, but it can also lower health care costs for that individual,” Pratt said.

“Once you lose your hearing, you’re not going to get it back.”

Nathan Ortiz, AuD, CCC-A, and Joseph Pratt, AuD, CCC-A, own and operate Precision Hearing Conservation, a nationwide
Sarah Lyons
Nathan Ortiz, AuD, CCC-A, and Joseph Pratt, AuD, CCC-A, own and operate Precision Hearing Conservation, a nationwide, private consulting firm, with brick-and-mortar clinic and mobile services.
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