Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Andrea Jenkins (Public domain)
Job description
A typical evaluation involves running hearing tests with specialized instruments and electronic equipment to pinpoint the type and degree of a patient's impairment, then recommending a course of treatment that might include fitting, dispensing, or repairing a hearing aid. Audiologists also monitor patients over time, adjusting care as hearing or balance status changes, and teach patients, parents, teachers, or employers strategies for clearer communication. It's a desk-and-exam-room job requiring a doctoral degree (an AuD), and the close, ongoing patient contact means dealing with frustration or distress is part of the routine.
Pros
- Much faster than average projected job growth (9.5%)
- Standard clinic-based setting with a predictable daily rhythm
- Combines diagnostic testing with hands-on device fitting for hearing aids, varied day-to-day work
Cons
- A small field with only around 700 openings projected nationally, limiting geographic options
- Requires a Doctor of Audiology (AuD), a lengthy and specialized doctoral path
- Regularly deals with frustrated or upset patients adjusting to hearing loss
A typical day
The 8:30 patient is a newborn who failed a hearing screening; the audiologist runs an auditory brainstem response test while the baby sleeps, electrodes reading what tiny ears can't yet report, and then has the careful conversation with anxious parents. Mid-morning shifts to a retired machinist in the sound booth — tones, word lists, and a familiar pattern of high-frequency loss — followed by hearing-aid programming where small adjustments change how his granddaughter's voice sounds tonight. After lunch: a dizziness workup with balance testing goggles, a cochlear implant mapping session for a teenager, and earmold impressions. Charting between every patient. The work is equal parts diagnostics, technology, and counseling people through invisible loss.
Tasks at the job
- Maintain patient records at all stages, including initial and subsequent evaluation and treatment activities.
- Evaluate hearing and balance disorders to determine diagnoses and courses of treatment.
- Fit, dispense, and repair assistive devices, such as hearing aids.
- Administer hearing tests and examine patients to collect information on type and degree of impairment, using specialized instruments and electronic equipment.
- Monitor patients' progress and provide ongoing observation of hearing or balance status.
- Instruct patients, parents, teachers, or employers in communication strategies to maximize effective receptive communication.
Workplace & working conditions
Work happens indoors in a climate-controlled setting, and most of the day is spent sitting at a desk, and you work in close physical proximity to coworkers or the public for much of the shift.
There's a regular, moderate amount of time pressure, and you're expected to exercise significant independent judgment day to day. Precision and accuracy are essential to the work. You'll regularly deal with frustrated or upset people as part of the job.
Education necessary or common
Doctor of Audiology (AuD)
Common college majors
Licenses & certifications
- State audiology licensure
- CCC-A (ASHA certification)
- ABA board certification (optional)
Career path
Related fields
Courses to take
- Anatomy & Physiology — the ear and brain are the subject matter
- AP Physics 1 — sound is physics; audiology measures it
- AP Biology
- AP Psychology — hearing loss is lived experience, not just data
- American Sign Language — directly relevant and valued
Clubs, activities & competitions
- HOSA — Future Health Professionals
- ASL club
- Volunteer with senior centers or programs for deaf/hard-of-hearing kids
- Science Olympiad (Sounds of Music, Anatomy events)
First steps you can take now
- Shadow an audiologist — private practices and hospital clinics both often welcome students
- Take an online hearing screening yourself and learn what an audiogram's axes mean
- Start ASL through free courses or a school club
- Volunteer at a senior center and notice how hearing shapes every interaction
