Audiologists
Do you have a newborn baby brother your mother gave birth to about a year or six months ago? Have you noticed that he seems to ignore loud sounds and noise around him, or doesn't respond or say any words when you talk to him? If you've noticed something like this, you should tell your parents right away, because your brother most likely has hearing problems and needs to see a hearing specialist as soon as possible to determine whether he has hearing loss or just minor hearing and speech issues. According to World Health Organization statistics from 2021, there are 34 million children worldwide with hearing loss, while the total number of people with hearing loss across all ages — children, adults, and the elderly — reached 430 million that same year. The WHO estimates that by 2050, more than 700 million people will suffer from hearing loss. Hearing loss means a patient can't hear sounds with enough quality and clarity to distinguish them, and it can be mild, moderate, or severe, and may occur in just one ear or both. In every case, the affected person needs to see a hearing specialist for diagnosis and to undergo tests of their hearing ability and sound discrimination. An audiologist is a doctor specialized in the study of hearing, tasked with diagnosing, assessing, and treating people with hearing disorders. They're also responsible for caring for patients suffering from loss of balance caused by disorders in the inner ear, which cause the patient to feel dizzy and lightheaded, as if the room is spinning, whether they're sitting, standing, or lying down. In the lines ahead, you'll learn more about the services an audiologist provides to patients in hospitals, medical centers, and various healthcare facilities.
Meet the Writer: Waleed Abo Omiraa
What You'll Actually Do
The core tasks and responsibilities that fill a typical day.
- Examine and clean patients' ear canals.
- Educate and supervise audiology students and health care personnel.
- Develop and supervise hearing screening programs.
- Counsel and instruct patients and their families in techniques to improve hearing and communication related to hearing loss.
- Evaluate hearing and balance disorders to determine diagnoses and courses of treatment.
- Program and monitor cochlear implants to fit the needs of patients.
- Participate in conferences or training to update or share knowledge of new hearing or balance disorder treatment methods or technologies.
- Conduct or direct research on hearing or balance topics and report findings to help in the development of procedures, technology, or treatments.
- Plan and conduct treatment programs for patients' hearing or balance problems, consulting with educators, physicians, nurses, psychologists, speech-language pathologists, and other health care personnel, as necessary.
- Administer hearing tests and examine patients to collect information on type and degree of impairment, using specialized instruments and electronic equipment.
- Engage in marketing activities, such as developing marketing plans, to promote business for private practices.
- Recommend assistive devices according to patients' needs or nature of impairments.
- Fit, dispense, and repair assistive devices, such as hearing aids.
- Advise educators or other medical staff on hearing or balance topics.
- Provide information to the public on hearing or balance topics.
- Instruct patients, parents, teachers, or employers in communication strategies to maximize effective receptive communication.
- Work with multidisciplinary teams to assess and rehabilitate recipients of implanted hearing devices through auditory training and counseling.
- Monitor patients' progress and provide ongoing observation of hearing or balance status.
- Measure noise levels in workplaces and conduct hearing conservation programs in industry, military, schools, and communities.
- Refer patients to additional medical or educational services, if needed.
- Perform administrative tasks, such as managing office functions and finances.
- Maintain patient records at all stages, including initial and subsequent evaluation and treatment activities.