Health Careers
Audiologist
Professional Activities
An audiologist’s professional activities concentrate on the prevention, diagnosis, and remedying of hearing loss in all age groups, from infants to geriatrics. Activities include performing hearing tests and evaluations, assisting in cochlear implant programs, implementing newborn screening programs, and performing ear-or hearing-related surgical monitoring.
Audiologists work closely with many other professionals including speech pathologists, pediatricians, ear-nose and throat physicians, and educators. Audiologists assess the type and degree of hearing loss, and coordinate with other professionals to determine the best ways to minimize disability. An audiologist’s work also involves fitting hearing aids, which now requires knowledge of computer software for programming and adjusting hearing aids.
Audiologists are employed in many settings, including hospitals, physician’s offices, schools, and private practices.
Educational Requirements
Individuals considering a career in audiology should have an interest in working with people (especially children and older citizens). Training is at the doctorate level and includes the following:
- Graduation from high school with coursework in math, science, and English.
- Completion of a four-year Bachelor’s degree, usually in Speech and Hearing Science or a related field.
- Completion of three years of graduate school.
- Completion of a 4th year doctoral fellowship as an audiologist under the supervision of a certified audiologist. A doctorate of Audiology (AuD) is then awarded and employment without supervision can occur.
Academic Programs
There are no accredited audiology programs in Alaska. The nearest program is located in Seattle, Washington:
University of Washington
Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences
1417 N.E. 42nd St.
Box 354875
Seattle, WA 98105-6246
Voice: (206) 685-7400
Fax: (206) 543-1093
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Web site: http://depts.washington.edu/sphsc/
Contacts
State Contacts:
Alaska Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Nichole LaChance, President
Phone: (907) 562-3994
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Web site: http://aksha.org/
Joyce Sexton, Audiologist
Northern Hearing Services
Phone: (888) 391-1326
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
National Contact:
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
2200 Research Boulevard
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone: (301) 296-5700
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Web site: http://www.asha.org
This page was last updated by Janice Troyer on November 17, 2011
