How to become an Audiologist

Audiologists are the one who provides expert services in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing and balance disorders. They assess the patients or the clients, and check if the individual is having any hearing based trouble. These specialists, then, treat the people regarding their respective problems. The audiologist`s primary work is to treat the people with hearing issues and their related disorders. Their role is not only limited in this capacity, but it also extends to provide personalized and professional services to the patients to help them minimize the negative impact of these disorders, leading to a better quality of their life eventually leading to their improved outcomes

Clinical audiologists work in a variety of settings like hearing aids, tinnitus, pediatrics, geriatrics, balance, cochlear implants and auditory processing among other issues. Audiologist works with tool like audiometers to assess hearing and balance and providing necessary treatment. They counsel patient`s family or community on how to best serve a patient with hearing impairments or balance issues. While providing their professional diagnostic treatment, these audiologists may fit hearing aids for the individuals for whom these specialists feel that their hearing might be improved. Nevertheless, this entire work is directly or indirectly aligned with their research work wherein they research in the aspects pertaining to their professional work. This not only helps in their research based growth but also in their overall professional growth and development.

Job description, Profiles, Roles and Duties:

• Detect and treat patients having hearing and balance disabilities
• Review test results and diagnose problems
• Decide and oversee treatment to meet the objectives of the patients
• Give treatment for tinnitus, a condition that induces ringing in the ear
• Fitting and distributing hearing aids and/or cochlear implants
• Offer auditory rehabilitation to decrease the impacts of hearing damage on communication, learning and job performance
• Advice patients and their families on methods to hear and communicate, like lip reading or through technology
• Assess patients on a regular basis to check their hearing and balance and to maintain or change treatment plans
• Record patient developments
• Research the reasons for hearing and balance disorders and their treatment
• Inform patients on methods to prevent hearing loss
• Overseeing and deducing a large number of assessments to determine hearing competence and identifying locations of suspected hearing problems
• Recommending and examining suitable hearing aids and cochlear implants and instructing patients on how to use it
• Report the test results in writing
• Providing references and recommendations to relevant doctors
• Assessment of employee hearing rates in occupations at high risk of hearing injury, including pilots or members of armed forces
• Measure the frequency at which a person starts listening to sounds and the capacity of the person to differentiate between sounds
• Evaluate the psychological information before making a treatment plan to measure the impact of hearing loss on a patient
• Proficient cleansing of the exterior ear canal
• Suggesting physical, speech or occupational therapy
• Prescribe exercises comprising positioning or head movement that might help in relieving symptoms

Audiologists need to have good communication skills as they need to communicate diagnoses, test results, proposed treatments in such a way that patient understand situation and option clearly, they must be compassionate, empathetic and supportive of patients and their families. Audiologists must have Critical-thinking skills which help them to concentrate while testing a patient's hearing and to analyze each patient's situation, and able to provide best treatment. They must also be able to provide alternative plans if patients do not respond to initial treatment. They must work with patients who may need a lot of time and special attention.

Audiologists must have problem-solving skills to figure out the causes of problems and determine the appropriate treatment or treatments to address them. These are few of the general strengths and abilities required for the individual work in regards with this particular profession. Let us understand these abilities and strengths in a detailed manner ahead. The audiologist is a specialist who deals with one of the very strong senses of an individual. In this capacity, it can be very clearly stated that these professionals require active listening skills and strong perception quality.

It is quite important to understand that these individuals have strong capacity in working with their listening skills not only in the capacity of only listening what people have to say but also in enduring and keeping patience while handling the clients. These specialists also have to be involved in their critical thinking capacity, that is using logic and reasoning abilities to identify the complexities of the individuals and work in alignment with them to find and work on the appropriate solutions and conclusions with broader perspective. All of these capacities are important for these specialists in both, their research oriented tendencies and in their practical treatments of their patients.

1. Healthcare and Hospitals
2. Audiology Clinics
3. Hearing Aid Manufacturers and Retailers
4. Rehabilitation Centers
5. Research and Academia
6. Government and Public Health Agencies
7. Schools and Educational Institutions
8. Occupational Health and Safety
9. Military and Veterans Affairs
10. Private Practice and Consulting.