What Audiologists Do

Audiologists diagnose, manage, and treat a patient’s hearing, balance, or ear problems.

Work Environment

Most audiologists work in healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, physicians’ offices, and audiology clinics. Some work in schools or for school districts and travel between facilities. Others work in health and personal care stores.

How to Become an Audiologist

Audiologists need a doctoral degree and must be licensed in all states. Requirements for licensure vary by state.

Job Outlook

Employment of audiologists is projected to grow 29 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. Hearing loss increases as people age, so the aging population is likely to increase demand for audiologists.

Growth & Trends

This occupation supported 13,000 jobs in 2012 and 13,200 jobs in 2014, reflecting an increase of 1.5%. In 2012, this occupation was projected to increase by 33.1% in 2022 to 17,300 jobs. As of 2014, to keep pace with prediction, the expected number of jobs was 13,800, compared with an observed value of 13,200, 4.3% lower than expected. This indicates current employment trends are worse than the 2012 trend within this occupation. In 2014, this occupation was projected to increase by 28.5% in 2024 to 16,900 jobs. Linear extrapolation of the 2012 projection for 2022 results in an expected number of 18,100 jobs for 2024, 7.1% higher than the 2014 projection for 2024. This indicates expectations for future employment trends are much worse than the 2012 trend within this occupation.

Audiologists Employment and Labor Information 2023

Audiologists Employment Brief:

Assess and treat persons with hearing and related disorders. May fit hearing aids and provide auditory training. May perform research related to hearing problems.

Audiologists Job Description

Here is a Job Description an employer might post for potential Audiologists.

Audiologists Responsibilities and Duties:

• Examine and clean patients' ear canals.
• Conduct or direct research on hearing or balance topics and report findings to help in the development of procedures, technology, or treatments.
• Educate and supervise audiology students and health care personnel.
• Fit, dispense, and repair assistive devices, such as hearing aids.
• Provide information to the public on hearing or balance topics.
• Perform administrative tasks, such as managing office functions and finances.
• 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.
• Recommend assistive devices according to patients' needs or nature of impairments.
• Instruct patients, parents, teachers, or employers in communication strategies to maximize effective receptive communication.

Typical Daily Tasks of Audiologists:

• Assisting and Caring for Others: Administer basic health care or medical treatments. Refer patients to other healthcare practitioners or health resources.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Maintain medical or professional knowledge.
• Working with Computers: Enter patient or treatment data into computers.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.
• Getting Information: Conduct research to increase knowledge about medical issues.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Present medical research reports. Record patient medical histories.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others.
• Communicating with People Outside the Organization: Communicate health and wellness information to the public.

Audiologists Skills and Requirements:

• Management of Material Resources Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
• Reading Comprehension Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
• Programming Writing computer programs for various purposes.
• Systems Evaluation Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
• Operations Analysis Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
• Installation Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
• Mathematics Using mathematics to solve problems.
• Social Perceptiveness Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Persuasion Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
• Technology Design Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.

Audiologists Education and Training:

Typical education for include: Doctoral or professional degree.

Audiologists Salary, Wages, and Salary and Job Outlook

Audiologists average pay is: $82680 per year according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employees who work in General Medical and Surgical Hospitals are the highest paid making $45.58, while Health and Personal Care Retailers make the least at $35.50 per hour.Here are the top city/metro areas with the highest paying salaries for a Audiologists: