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