Admitting you might be experiencing hearing loss is the first step to improving your hearing health and overall quality of life. The next (and perhaps hardest) step is deciding to do something about it. That step becomes even more difficult if you don’t know which type of professional to go to and where to find them. Perhaps you’ve heard that an audiologist is the most qualified professional to diagnose and treat your hearing, but where do you find one? Not all of the 15,000 audiologists that currently work in the U.S. have their own practice and might not be well-represented in the community where you live. The following is a list of the most common places you’ll find a licensed audiologist:

• Private practices
• Clinics
• Otolaryngologist/ENT practices
• Hospitals
• Universities
• Schools
• Hearing instrument businesses
• The military/government sector
• Within various industrial settings

The particular audiologist you choose may be affected by who is visible and accessible to you in any one of these key sectors. Are there any places on this list that surprised you? The key reason audiologists are involved in so many diverse arenas of the medical, professional, educational, business and private sector is that hearing loss touches and affects a diverse range of ages and people in many different lifestyles and careers. By working in partnership with other medical branches and in key fields like education and industry, audiologists are better able to educate and serve the public right where they’re at.

Although their focus and any specialized training may determine (and depend on) which setting they practice in and what type of patients they normally help, all licensed audiologists are capable of diagnosing and treating hearing-related problems, including various types and degrees of hearing loss, inner ear balance issues and tinnitus.

Even though they may not be immediately visible in your community, audiologists are everywhere. As you search for one within these settings, don’t forget to consult the experience of family, friends and other health professionals you trust. Take care to choose an audiologist who has plenty of training, experience and a reputation for going above and beyond when it comes to their patients’ hearing needs.

Finding an audiologist doesn’t have to be difficult! Once you locate one in your area, schedule an appointment to have your hearing loss addressed immediately!