Start Your Career In Audiology By Becoming An Audiologist

Hearing Is An Essential Part Of One's Life, And It Is Very Distressing If Our Loved Ones Or We Suffer From Any Hearing Issues. Audiology Is The Treatment Done For Hearing And Speech-related Problems. Individuals Can Start A Career In The Field Of Audiology. Some People Might Find It Rewarding To Start A Career In Audiology Because It Gives Them The Chance To Work In The Healthcare Field. Do You Also Want To Become An Audiologist? This Blog Will Be Helpful For You If You're Going To Start A Career As An Audiologist. 

What Is Audiology?

Audiology Is The Branch Of Medical Science That Studies Hearing Disorders. Along With That, The Branch Also Looks After The Remediation And Prevention Of Hearing Disorders. It Determines The Most Suitable Therapy Options. Hearing Loss With Hearing Aids Is A Frequent Issue That Audiologists Address.

For Measuring Hearing Loss, An Instrument Is Used By The Audiologists To Prevent Hearing Loss. That Instrument Is Called An Audiometer, Which Is Intensively Used To Determine Hearing Loss. In Audiology, The Field Focuses On Ear Impairments And Deals With Earring Balances And Equilibrium Disorders.  

What Is An Audiologist?

Audiologists Are The Expert Medical Specialists Who Provide Expert Services In The Prevention, Treatment And Diagnosis Of Hearing, Balance And Equilibrium Disorders. They Examine Individual Hearing Impairments. And Treat The Hearing Loss People With Proper Treatment. Their Function Is Not Restricted In This Capacity. Still, It Extends To Providing Individualised And Professional Services To The Patients To Reduce The Harmful Effect Of These Conditions, Leading To A Higher Quality Of Their Life And Improved Results.

What Are The Responsibilities Of An Audiologist?

Apart From Diagnosing Patients With Hearing Problems, Audiologists Have To Perform Other Specific Duties And Responsibilities. Here We Have Mentioned Some Of The Essential Duties Of An Audiologist. Let Us Have A Look:

• Monitor And Treat Patients Having Hearing, Balance And Equilibrium Disabilities 
• Analyse The Test Results And Diagnose Hearing Problems
• Decide And Examine The Treatments To Meet The Objectives Of The Patients.
• Fitting Hearing Aids And Cochlear Implants
• Assess Patients Regularly To Check Their Hearing And Balance And To Maintain Or Change Treatment Plans
• Providing Auditory Rehabilitation To Decrease The Impacts Of Hearing Loss On Communication, And Learning Problems
• Consult Patients And Their Families On Techniques To Hear And Communicate Like Lip Reading, Eye Language, Or Hand Language
• Record The Patient's Developments And Improvements
• Research The Reasons For Hearing Disorders And Their Treatments
• Analysing The Test Reports And Determining The Results
• Also Suggesting Therapies Like Physician, Speech And Occupational Therapy.
• Measuring The Frequency Of Hearing Impairments
• Providing The Relevant References And Recommendations To Doctors
• Analysing The Psychological Information Before Making The Treatment Plan To Measure The Impact Of Hearing Loss
• Advising Patients On Methods To Prevent Hearing Loss
• Supervising And Analysing A Large Number Of Hearing Tests To Determine Hearing Ability And Finding Places Where People Might Have Hearing Problems
• Recommending And Checking Out The Best Hearing Aids And Cochlear Implants And Teaching Patients How To Use Them.

What Are The Skills Required To Become An Audiologist?

To Become An Audiologist, You Need To Have The Relevant Skills Required On The Part Of An Audiologist. Thinking And Helping Interest Areas Are Essential In The Role Of An Audiologist. Because These Interesting Skills Will Help You To Focus On Researching, Researching, Investigating, Assisting, Counselling, Etc., Apart From Thinking And Helping Interest Skills, The Audiologist Should Also Possess The Following Skills:

Communication Skills

If You Want To Become A Successful Audiologist, You Need To Possess Verbal As Well As Non-verbal Communication Skills. After Becoming An Audiologist, You Need To Communicate With Patients About Tests, Test Results, Diagnoses And Required Treatments. Also, In The Near Future, You Will Be Working With Healthcare Professionals And Education Specialists Regarding Patient Care.

Compassion And Patience

You Must Have The Ability To Be Supportive In Nature. Additionally, You Need Patience In Order To Carry Out The Treatments Easily.

Problem-solving Skills

In The Audiologist Profession, You Need To Determine The Root Causes Of Hearing And Balance Issues And The Suitable Therapy Or Remedies For Patients.

Interpersonal Management

Interpersonal Management Becomes Important To Inherit Interpersonal Skills Since You Have Started Your Career In Audiology. You Have To Deal With The Patients And Make Them Supportive, Comfortable And Confident Regarding Their Illness.

Critical Thinking Skills

You Must Possess The Observation And Attention To Detail Ability, But You Must Have The Critical Thinking Ability. This Will Help Increase Your Concentration Power. Also, In Some Exceptional Cases, You Must Have The Ability To Develop Decision-making Ability And Critical Thinking.

How To Become An Audiologist?

To Pursue A Career In The Field Of Audiology After 12th, One Must Be Aware Of The Array Of Courses Available To You, Ranging From Diploma Courses To Master's Courses. Apart From That, A Doctoral Degree In Audiology Is Also Needed To Earn A National Certification. 

Here We Have Mentioned The Steps That Help You Become A Successful Audiologist. Let’s Have A Look At Each Step In Detail:

1. Earn A Diploma/ Undergraduate Degree

You Can Get Your Bachelor From The Diploma Or Bachelor's Degree Courses After 12th Science With PCB (Physics, Chemistry And Biology) From The List Of The Courses:

Diploma/Undergraduate Courses:

• PG Diploma In Neuro-Audiology
• Diploma In Hearing Aid And Earmold Technology
• B.Sc In Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology
• Bachelor In Audiology And Speech-Language Pathology
• B.Sc Audiology And Speech Therapy

2. Complete Your Masters

You Can Complete Your Post-graduation Or Master's Degree From The Listed Courses:

• M.Sc. In Audiology
• M.Sc In Audiology And Speech Rehabilitation/Pathology

3. Complete The Doctorate Course

After Completing Your Bachelor's And Master's Degrees, You Also Need To Earn The Degree By Pursuing The Ph.D In Audiology & Speech Therapy.

4. Pass The Praxis Exam In Audiology

The Praxis Examination In Audiology Is Administered By The Educational Testing Service (ETS) And Is Necessary For Professional Certification And State Licensing. It Is Essential To Complete A Solid Clinical Internship Programme In Order To Succeed On The Praxis Audiology Exam. Every 5-8 Years, A New Edition Of The Praxis Audiology Test Is Created, Requiring A New Computation Of The Passing Score. After Completing Your AuD Program Or PhD In Audiology And Clinical Practicum, You Are Eligible To Take This Test.

5. Get A Licence 

After Clearing The Praxis Examination In The Field Of Audiology, You Can Get The Licence From Your State. Each State Has Their Own Preferential Praxis Exam Score, Depending On That You Need To Score And Get The Licence.

6. Complete Certification

You Can Obtain The Professional Certification In Audiology From Either Of The Two Organisations Mentioned Below:

• Certificate Of Clinical Competence In Audiology (CCC-A)
• American Board Of Audiology (ABA)

What Are The Top Colleges To Attend To Become An Audiologist?

Here We Have Listed The Top Colleges Where You Can Start Your Career In Audiology:

1. Shree Guru Gobind Singh Tricentenary University, Gurgaon
2. SRM Arts And Science College, Kanchipuram
3. Jawaharlal Institute Of Postgraduate Medical Education And Research
4. All India Institute Of Physical Medicine And Rehabilitation
5. Topiwala National Medical College And BYL Nair Charitable Hospital
6. Manipal Academy Of Higher Education
7. Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
8. Postgraduate Institute Of Medical Education And Research, Chandigarh

What Are The Types Of Audiology Careers?

Types Of Audiologists In Terms Of Professions:

• Humanitarian Audiologist

Humanitarian Audiologists Are Those That Work With Those Who Lack Access To Health Care That Can Help Them With Their Auditory Requirements. Diagnose And Treat Patients And Equip Them With Hearing Aids, If Necessary.

• Corporate Audiologist

Corporate Audiologists Primarily Work In Organisations That Design And Sell Hearing Specimens, 

devices, Or Technologies, Such As Hearing Aid Manufacturers.

• Professor/Lecturer In The Field Of Audiology

After Completing The Doctorate Degree In Audiology, One Can Also Become A Lecturer In The Field Of Audiology. The Professor/ Lecturer In Audiology Will Teach The Undergraduate And Postgraduate Students.

• Clinical Audiologist

A Clinical Audiologist Is The One Who Examines Patients To Provide Treatments To Patients With Hearing Balance Or Ear-related Disabilities. They Provide Their Service To Patients Of All Ages. 

• Educational Audiologist

An Educational Audiologist Helps Childrens With Their Hearing Health, Focusing On How Their Schools Can Meet Their Needs. For Them To Work, They Have To Meet The Exact Requirements Of Other Clinical Audiologists.

Types Of An Audiologist In Terms Of Specialisation:

• Geriatric Audiologist

Geriatric Audiologists Look After Treating The Ear Ailments And Dysfunctionalities Obtained Due To Imbalance Of Some Chemical Reaction Occurring In The Brain. 

• Paediatric Audiologist

Paediatric Audiologists Specialise In Treating And Diagnosing Individuals Under The Age Of 21, From Infants To Teenagers. These Audiologists Usually Operate Private Paediatric Practices For Newborns. 

• Cochlear Implant Audiologist

The Cochlear Implant Audiologist Is The One Who Provides Cochlear Implant Services, Post-implantation Monitoring, Intraoperative Monitoring, Etc. 

• Hearing Aid Audiologist

Hearing Aid Audiologists, Who Are Also Called Speech-language Pathologists, Must Work In Healthcare Or Education And Treat Both Adults And Kids. 

• Tinnitus Audiologist

Tinnitus Audiologists Are Responsible For Managing And Assessing Patients, Providing Specialised Treatment, Therapy Services And Management Of Tinnitus, Communication Difficulties, And Complex Auditory Processing Problems.

What Are The Employment Areas Of An Audiologist?

• Private Hospitals
• Public Hospitals
• Special Schools
• Rehabilitation Centres

What Is The Salary Of An Audiologist?

Audiologists' Annual Salary In India Ranges From INR 3.3 Lakhs To 6.1 Lakhs. The Average Yearly Salary Of An Audiologist Is 4.6 Lakhs. 

What Is The Job Outlook In The Field Of Audiology?

The Number Of Employment For Audiologists Is Predicted To Expand By Around 16% Between 2020 And 2030, Which Is Substantially Faster Than The Average For All Occupations. 

Over The Next 10 Years, There Will Be, On Average, 800 New Jobs For Audiologists Each Year. Most Of These Openings Are Likely To Be Caused By The Need To Replace Workers Who Switch Jobs Or Leave The Workforce, Like When They Retire.