Audiology [ aw-dee-ol-uh-jee ]: noun

‍The study of hearing disorders, including evaluation of hearing function and rehabilitation of patients with hearing impairments.

‍I am an audiologist. I want to explain what audiologists do, who we are, and why you should know.Audiologists are highly skilled medical professionals. We hold undergraduate degrees, Master’s degrees, and Doctorates. We completed externships. We completed exams for licensure and many of us achieve specialty board certification through the American Board of Audiology.

Audiologists don’t just test hearing.

We are not a retail professional like hearing instrument specialists although we do dispense hearing aids. We are not otolaryngologists and do not prescribe medication or complete surgical interventions although we diagnose and treat auditory issues.

Not only do we care for you, but often times, audiologists may work quietly behind the scenes as scientists who conduct experiments and publish results, write books and teach others how to care for you. Audiologists may be engineers who create and improve the technology that improves your quality of life.

When your newborn needs their hearing screened, we are there.If your child has fluctuating hearing loss from middle ear fluid, we are there.If your child has hearing loss and needs accommodations in school, we are there.

If you have an auditory processing disorder, we are there.If someone in your family has a sudden hearing loss, we are there.If you have age-related gradual hearing loss and the entire world seems to be mumbling, we are there.If you have a traumatic brain injury, we are there.If you have tinnitus, we are there.

If you have sound sensitivity, we are there.If you have cancer and were treated with ototoxic medication, we are there.If you have balance disorders, we are there.

If you are having surgery and the auditory nerve requires monitoring, we are there.If you served in the military and have acquired hearing loss, we are there.We are there for you and your family!

Whether you are one day old or celebrating your 90th birthday, we can support your hearing health. We know about the diseases that impact your hearing and communication. We know how medications work so we can appropriately monitor your hearing and can collaborate with your other physicians.

We perform different procedures which evaluate hearing, balance, auditory processing, workplace noise exposure, communication, and integrity of the facial and auditory nerves. Once we’ve evaluated you, we can treat these disorders by providing therapies, hearing aid and assistive listening devices, cochlear implants, vestibular rehabilitation, tinnitus retraining therapy, sound sensitivity treatment, hearing protection, and aural rehabilitation.

I am an audiologist. It’s an honor to care for you and your family.

Now that you’ve learned about audiologists, please let me know how I can help improve your hearing so you can live your best life!