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What They Do
About This Career
Assesses and treats persons with hearing and related disorders. May fit hearing aids and provide auditory training. May perform research related to hearing problems.
This career is part of the Health Science cluster Therapeutic Services pathway.
A person in this career:
- Maintains patient records at all stages, including initial and subsequent evaluation and treatment activities.
- Evaluates hearing and balance disorders to determine diagnoses and courses of treatment.
- Fits, dispenses, and repairs assistive devices, such as hearing aids.
- Administers hearing tests and examines patients to collect information on type and degree of impairment, using specialized instruments and electronic equipment.
- Monitors patients' progress and provides ongoing observation of hearing or balance status.
- Instructs patients, parents, teachers, or employers in communication strategies to maximize effective receptive communication.
- Counsels and instructs patients and their families in techniques to improve hearing and communication related to hearing loss.
- Participates in conferences or training to update or share knowledge of new hearing or balance disorder treatment methods or technologies.
- Refers patients to additional medical or educational services, if needed.
- Examines and cleans patients' ear canals.
Working Conditions and Physical Demands
People who do this job report that:
- You would sit most of the time. There's some walking and standing. You may have to lift and carry things like books, papers or tools weighing 10 lbs. or less.
- Exposed to disease and infections more than once a month through work such as patient care, laboratory work, and sanitation control
- Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
- Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time
- Work in this occupation involves sitting more than one-third of the time
Working in this career involves (physical activities):
- Picking out a particular sound in the presence of other sounds
- Detecting sounds and hearing the differences between sounds of different pitch and loudness
- Seeing clearly up close
- Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
- Identifying and understanding the speech of another person
Work Hours and Travel
- Regular working hours and limited travel
Specialty and Similar Careers
Careers that are more detailed or close to this career:
- Industrial Audiologist
- Staff Audiologist
- Audiology Doctor (AUD)
- Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology Licensed Audiologist (CCC-A Licensed Audiologist)
- Clinical Audiologist — Treats patients with hearing or balance problems or for ear disease.
- Dispensing Audiologist — Diagnoses hearing problems and prescribes the right hearing aid.
- Forensic Audiologist
- Educational Audiologist
- Pediatric Audiologist
Every year the U.S. Department of Labor conducts national surveys of wage data by occupation in every state and in all industry divisions. These surveys are conducted through the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program.
The statistics collected for one year are published the next fall. For example, 2013 wage information was published in the fall of 2014.
There are over 800 occupations in the surveys, and these occupations cover the entire U.S. labor market. The surveys ask for reports in a scale of ranges for both hourly wages and annual wages.
In many cases, these occupations are broad enough to cover many more detailed specialties of an occupation. A specific occupation may be included in a broader occupational category for which labor market data is available. When you look at the statistics for a broad category, be aware that the salary data for a specific career may differ.
For more details about how wage information is collected and calculated by the U.S. Department of Labor, visit their website at http://www.bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm.
Every year the U.S. Department of Labor conducts a national survey of over 400,000
employers in every state and in all industry divisions. This survey is conducted
through the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program. Every other year the
department publishes outlook information based on these surveys.
Each outlook period covers 10 years. For example, in 2003 the outlook information
was published for 2004-2014. Employers are asked to report the number of employees
in about 770 different occupations that cover the entire U.S. labor market.
From this information, staffing patterns for different industries are established.
Industry growth is projected into the future based on past trends and current economic
conditions. Industry staffing patterns are then applied to the industry projections
to obtain occupational projections.
In many cases, these occupations are broad enough to cover many more detailed specialties
of an occupation. A specific occupation may be included in a broader occupational
category for which labor market data is available. When you look at the statistics
for a broad category, be aware that the employment data for a specific field may
differ.
For more details about how employment information is collected and calculated by
the U.S. Department of Labor, visit their website at http://stats.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.tn.htm.
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