What is an Audiologist?

An audiologist is a person who has gone to school for between six to eight years to receive a masters or doctorate degree in audiology in order to practice.  Their main duties involve identification, assessments, treatment, rehabilitation and prevention of hearing loss in people of all ages.

The role of an audiologist is a complex one.  They are the doctors of the hearing health professional world and have a lot of responsibility.  Audiologists not only go through a lot of schooling to become certified, but they must also pass state/provincial and federal tests and regulations in order to be able to practice.  They must also do a full internship or practicum at a certified practice prior to graduating and taking the competency exams.

An audiologist identifies any disorders, diseases, complications, hearing loss in a person.  They perform hearing tests, behavioural tests, and even counseling for patients.  They dispense and fit hearing aids, cochlear implants, and other hearing health products such as alerting aids and earplugs.  They provide rehabilitation to patients with hearing loss, vertigo, and tinnitus, as well as to their families.  They also go into the public to bring awareness to others in the hearing health profession as well as to other health care professionals, work sites, and schools.

Audiologists are especially important to children and their hearing health, as they are the only certified hearing health professional allowed to test a child’s hearing and fit them with hearing aids.  They are very important in a child’s development if they have hearing loss because if proper measures are not taken at an early age, a child could have problems with their speech, language, cognitive and social development.  Also, in adults, if proper steps are not taken in the rehabilitation of a patient, the adult could become depressed and start to isolate themselves. 

Due to their vast knowledge and years spent in class or in practicum, audiologists are very important to the hearing health community.  They are important to the hearing health of children, mentally disabled persons and adults.  They are experts in the rehabilitation, testing, treatment and prevention for all patients of all ages.  They also help in the education of the general public on hearing health and hearing loss prevention.