You’ve made the decision to become an Audiologist. Now what?
You’ll find that most of the time your patients will be referred to you by their primary doctor or a loved one. Becoming an audiologist carries with it a unique responsibility. Audiologists protect and help to treat issues stemming from one of our body’s most important elements: hearing and people who have issues with hearing are coming to you because they’re looking for you to really help them and fix their problem when no one else can. Audiologists diagnose and treat a variety of disorders beyond simple hearing loss. They can perform Caloric Testing and videonystagmography (VNG) testing and provide treatment options or recommend vestibular rehabilitation therapy.
Here are some quick facts about Audiology:
- Audiology is a well-respected and highly recognized profession. Audiology as a profession, according to U.S. News and World Report was ranked as one of the best careers in 2008.
- Hearing loss is mainly caused by nerve damage but almost all forms can be treated with assistive listening devices or even rehabilitation.
- If you’re just starting out, you should get as much vestibular experience and exposure as you possibly can. If you’re just getting started, a great resource to look at is the Audiology website.