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What's an Audiologist?
An audiologist is a professional who diagnoses, treats, and manages individuals with hearing
loss or balance problems. Audiologists have received a Master's or Doctorial degree from an
accredited university graduate program. Their academic and clinical training provides the
foundation for patient management from birth through adulthood.
Audiologists determine appropriate patient treatment of hearing and balance problems by combining a complete
history with a variety of specialized auditory and vestibular assessments. Based upon the
diagnosis, the audiologist presents a variety of treatment options to patients with hearing
impairment or balance problems. Audiologists dispense and fit hearing aids as part of a
comprehensive habilitative program.
Audiologists may be found working in medical centers
and hospitals, private practice settings, schools, government health facilities and agencies,
as well as colleges and universities. As a primary hearing health provider, audiologists refer
patients to physicians when the hearing or balance problem requires medical or surgical
evaluation or treatment.
Why should someone with hearing loss be evaluated by an audiologist?
Audiologists hold masters or doctoral degrees from accredited universities with special
training in the prevention, identification, assessment and non-medical treatment of
hearing disorders. Audiologists are required to complete a full-time internship and pass
a demanding national competency examination. By virtue of their graduate education,
professional certification and licensure, audiologists are the most qualified professionals to perform hearing tests, refer patients for medical treatment and provide
hearing rehabilitation services.
What do audiologists do?
Hearing testing. Audiologists use specialized equipment to obtain accurate results
about hearing loss. These tests are typically conducted in sound-treated rooms with
calibrated equipment. The audiologists is trained to inspect the eardrum with an
otoscope, perform limited ear wax removal, conduct diagnostic audiologic tests, and
check for medically-related hearing problems.
Hearing loss is caused by medical problems about 10% of the time. Audiologists are
educated to recognize these medical problems and refer patients to ear, nose and
throat physicians (known as otolaryngologists). Most persons with hearing impairment
can benefit from the use of hearing aids, and audiologists are knowledgeable about the
latest applications of hearing aid technology.
Hearing services for infants and children. Good hearing is essential to the social
and intellectual development of infants and young children. Audiologists test hearing
and identify hearing loss in children of any age. This includes newborn and infant
hearing screening and diagnostic hearing tests with young children. Audiologists
provide hearing therapy and fit hearing aids on babies and young children with hearing
loss.
Services for school children. Audiologists provide a full range of hearing and
rehabilitative hearing services in private and public schools for students in all grades.
Such services are essential to the development of speech, language and learning skills
in children with hearing problems.
Hearing services and counseling. Audiologists are vitally concerned that every
person, regardless of age, benefit from good hearing. Audiologists provide individual
counseling to help those with hearing loss function more effectively in social, educational and occupational environments. It is a fact of life that we lose hearing
acuity, as we grow older, and that hearing problems are commonly associated with the
elderly. Audiologists are committed to helping senior citizens to hear better.
Hearing aids and assistive listening devices. Audiologists provide complete hearing
aid services to clients with hearing problems. Audiologists are also experts with
assistive listening equipment and personal alerting devices. Audiologists provide
education and training so that persons with hearing impairment can benefit from amplification and communication devices.
Audiologists dispense the majority of hearing aids in the United States. Audiologists
use the most advanced computerized procedures to individualize the fitting of hearing
aids. Hearing aid options are thoroughly discussed with each potential user based on
the results of a complete hearing test and the individual needs of each patient. Follow-up care and hearing aid accessories are routinely available from
dispensing audiologists.
Hearing conservation programs. Prolonged exposure to loud noise causes
permanent hearing loss. Because audiologists are concerned with the prevention of
hearing loss, they are often involved in implementing programs to protect the hearing of
individuals who are exposed to noisy industrial and recreational situations.
Hearing research. Audiologists engage in a wide variety of research activities to
develop new hearing assessment techniques and new rehabilitative technologies, particularly in the area of hearing aids. Research reports of audiologists can be found in
the professional literature of medical and scientific journals. Audiologists write
textbooks on hearing evaluation, hearing aids and the management of people with hearing loss. Audiologists help develop professional standards and are represented on
the boards of national and government agencies.
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