JPD Job Video for Audiologist:

https://jobspeopledo.com/job-videos/?What=audiologist&x=0&y=0

“Audiologist” is definitely a lesser known health care profession, but even to someone to has heard of audiologists, your first thought is probably that these are the people who test your hearing. You would be right, but what may surprise you is that audiologists do much more than just that. Read on!

What is a typical day working as an audiologist?

Audiologists are highly trained health care professionals. They are not MD physicians, but similar to doctors, audiologists interact with patients every day. In a typical day, an audiologist will treat many patients, who may present with ear, hearing, and/or balance-related issues. Patients may be of any age, from child to senior. For one patient, the audiologist may need to fit a hearing aid. Another patient may be concerned that she is hearing ringing in her ears, which the audiologist would diagnose and then treat. Yet another patient may require education and counselling because he is experiencing hearing difficulties. Audiologists are trained to treat diverse conditions.

What are the pros and cons of working as an audiologist?   

Audiologists get to help people every day. Sometimes, audiologists see the patient immediately benefiting, such as when the patient gets fitted with a hearing aid. That is a tremendously gratifying feeling and a definite pro of working as an audiologist. One con is the difficulty of the work. For example, assessing auditory function and prescribing a treatment may be more difficult if the patient is a child who doesn’t want to cooperate. It can also be frustrating to try various treatments that all fail to help the patient.

How do you become an audiologist?  

In Canada, audiologists are required to have a Masters’ degree in Audiology, including a practicum where you must accumulate at least 350 hours of clinical training. There are five such programs across the nation, and they may be completed in two to three years.

What is the expected salary range?

An entry-level audiologist can expect to earn an average $70,000 a year. More experienced audiologists, with more than 20 years of experience, earn an average $95,000 a year. Depending on where the audiologist is working, their pay may be increased via bonus, profit sharing, and commission.

The only way to know if this is the right career for you is to shadow a working audiologist. Ask questions not just about that specific audiologist’s job and benefits, but also general questions about this career choice. The field is small but the job prospects for this field are positive: as the population ages, more and more people will need an audiologist’s help.

References:

1. http://www.sac-oac.ca/audiology/becoming-audiologist
2. http://www.sickkids.ca/communicationdisorders/What-we-do/Audiology/index.html
3. https://www.osla.on.ca/en/Audiologist?mid=ctl00_LeftMenu_ctl00_TheMenu-menuItem000
4. http://www.sac-oac.ca/public/what-do-audiologists-do
5. https://www.shmoop.com/careers/audiologist/typical-day.html
6. http://www.healthcarecareers.org/audiologist/
7. http://careers.alot.com/career-paths/pros-and-cons-of-being-an-audiologist–3207
8. http://www.payscale.com/research/CA/Job=Audiologist/Salary