08/09/2026
I’m incredibly proud to share a professional milestone: I have officially earned the Advanced Hearing Aid Practitioner (AHAP) designation!
With this achievement, I’m honored to be one of only 8 professionals in the United States — and just 9 worldwide — to currently hold the AHAP title.
AHAP represents advanced education beyond the traditional scope of hearing aid dispensing, with an emphasis on expanding clinical knowledge, strengthening best practices, and elevating the standard of hearing healthcare we provide.
For me, this isn’t simply about adding letters after my name. It represents something I deeply believe in: our patients deserve practitioners who never stop learning.
Hearing healthcare is constantly evolving. Our understanding of hearing, cognition, communication, technology, verification, and overall health continues to grow — and I believe our education should grow right along with it.
At Nacci Hearing, continuing education isn’t something we do just to maintain a credential. It’s part of who we are. We invest in advanced training because the people who trust us with their hearing deserve our very best.
I’m incredibly grateful to have reached this milestone and proud to now add AHAP to my credentials:
Rachel Smith, BC-HIS, AHAP
Co-Owner, Nacci Hearing
And as always, there is still so much more to learn.