subject: Hearing Comes First For Audiologists [print this page] For anyone that is considering becoming an audiologist, it is important to have a comprehensive understanding of the depth of responsibility that this reward has to offer. In essence, audiologists are ear doctors. They diagnose and treat problems with the delicate parts of the inner ear canal, and the small sensory bones that allow the body to detect sound.
A lot of people outside of the medical profession often have a misjudgment for just how important the tiny components of the human ear's interior can be to daily living. It is not simply about being able to hear in order to communicate, or being able to cope with having less sensory awareness about the surrounding world. The ears are also very active in aiding with balance, especially with walking. If the mechanisms in the ear canal that are responsible for this are damaged, a hearing impaired person might end up needing lessons in how to walk properly again, in addition to overcoming communications barriers.
Helping people to learn how to cope with their disability while still being able to live out relatively normal lives is a big part of the duties of an audiologist. They train their patients in how to properly use hearing aids, and other technological forms of hearing assistance. While audiologists do a lot of work with children that are born with hearing disabilities, they also help people that were born with perfectly functional ears, but that lost their hearing later in life for whatever reason. This loss could be the result of some sort of severe infection, or possibly due to some kind of an accident in which the patient's ears were actually damaged somehow.
The educational requirements for becoming an audiologist have steadily risen over time. In the United States, all medical professionals specializing in this field are required to have completed their doctorate. This is a stark contrast to early periods in the history of this profession, especially since it wasn't that long ago that a doctor could legally open up a hearing care practice with only a master's degree.
Still, despite the persistence and ambition required to become an audiologist, many people that have gone on to obtain their medical licenses in order to work in the hearing care field would likely say that one of the most fulfilling aspects of their career is having the privileged to help the disabled. In the end, it is this noble calling that creates the profoundly rewarding sense of accomplishment that drives people to help one another.
