The Role of an Audiologist
Audiologists are professionals that specialize in hearing healthcare and are experts at assessing, detecting, and treating hearing loss in adults as well as children. They mostly engage in conducting hearing evaluations but can also be members of teams that perform cochlear implants and other surgical analyses.
Due to their crucial role in identifying hearing loss they can be found in a variety of work settings, ranging from hospitals and ENT clinics to educational settings like K-12 schools and universities.
An audiologist plays multiple roles in your hearing healthcare. They are responsible for prescribing, dispensing as well as fitting your hearing aids. Evaluating candidates for cochlear implants is also one of their tasks. They are in charge of developing and conducting hearing protection programs as well as hearing screening assessments for newborn babies.
Audiologists also provide counseling for families with infants who have hearing damage. They are also helpful in teaching adults with hearing loss to learn adequate coping skills to compensate for hearing loss. They also help evaluate and take care of people suffering from tinnitus, which is the ringing sensation in the ears without any external stimuli.
The qualifications of audiologists range from being a doctor of audiology (AuD) while several audiologists have a PhD or ScD in sciences that specialize in hearing and equilibrium. In addition they also receive training in various departments such as anatomy, acoustics, neurology, sign language, physiology, and counseling, among others. American audiologists require a license and registration in order to practice in all of the states in America.
Audiologists often conduct free hearing tests, which is why it is important to get your hearing tested in a timely manner and at no cost to you. This way you can detect any early signs of hearing loss and take appropriate treatment measures.