Thursday, May 16, 2013

What is an audiologist?

Often times, if you were to mention that you are experiencing difficulty hearing, you would most likely be referred to an audiologist to begin the diagnosis process.  But do you know what an audiologist is?  It's important to understand prior to your visit to make sure you are heading in the right direction and prepared for your visit.  Since May is Better Hearing Health Month, we thought we'd share with you a quick fact sheet on what audiology is and what an audiologist does.


Audiologists are the primary health-care professionals who evaluate, diagnose, treat, and manage hearing loss and balance disorders in adults and children.


  • evaluate and diagnose hearing loss and vestibular (balance) disorders
  • prescribe, fit, and dispense hearing aids and other amplification and hearing assistance technologiesare members of cochlear implant teams
  • perform ear- or hearing-related surgical monitoring design and implement hearing conservation programs
  • design and implement newborn hearing screening programs
  • provide hearing rehabilitation training such as auditory training and listening skills improvement assess and treat individuals, especially children, with central auditory processing disorders
  • assess and treat individuals with tinnitus (noise in the ear, such as ringing)
Audiologists treat all ages and types of hearing loss: the elderly, adults, teens, children, and infants.  Almost all types of hearing loss are treatable by an audiologist. Most hearing loss that is caused by nerve damage can be treated by an audiologist with hearing aids, assistive listening devices, and hearing rehabilitation. Audiologists work in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, clinics, private practice, ENT offices, universities, K-12 schools, government, military, and Veterans’ Administration (VA) hospitals.
Most audiologists earn a doctor of audiology (AuD) degree. Some audiologists earn a doctor of philosophy (PhD) or doctor of science (ScD) degree in the hearing and balance sciences.

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