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Preparation
 All states require
audiologists to be licensed or registered. Licensure or registration
requires at least a master's degree in audiology; however, a first
professional, or doctoral, degree is becoming increasingly necessary.
Individuals must have at least a master's degree in
audiology to qualify for a job. However, a first professional or doctoral
degree is becoming more common. Several states required a doctoral degree
or its equivalent. The professional doctorate in audiology (Au.D.) requires approximately 8 years of university
training and supervised professional experience.
 Accredited Programs
The Accreditation Commission of Audiology Education accredits Au.D.
programs and the Council
on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
(CAA) accredited graduate
programs in audiology. Graduation from an accredited program may be
required to obtain a license in some States. Requirements for admission to
programs in audiology include courses in English, mathematics, physics,
chemistry, biology, psychology, and communication. Graduate coursework in
audiology includes anatomy; physiology; physics; genetics; normal and
abnormal communication development; auditory, balance, and neural systems
assessment and treatment; diagnosis and treatment; pharmacology; and
ethics.
Audiologists are regulated by licensure or registration in
all 50 States. Forty-one States have continuing education requirements for
licensure renewal, the number of hours required varies by State. Twenty
States and the District of Columbia also require audiologists to have a
Hearing Aid Dispenser license to dispense hearing aids; for the remaining
30 states, an audiologist license is all that is needed to dispense hearing
aids. Third-party payers generally require practitioners to be licensed to
qualify for reimbursement. States set requirements for education, mandating
a master's or doctoral degree, as well as other requirements. For
information on the specific requirements of your state, contact that
state's licensing board.
In some states, specific certifications from professional
associations satisfy some or all of the requirements for state licensure.
Certification can be obtained from two certifying bodies.
Audiologists can earn the Certificate of Clinical Competence
in Audiology (CCC-A) offered by the American Speech-Language-Hearing
Association; they may also be certified through the American Board of
Audiology.
Audiologists should be able to effectively communicate
diagnostic test results, diagnoses, and proposed treatments in a manner
easily understood by their patients. They must be able to approach problems
objectively and provide support to patients and their families. Because a
patient's progress may be slow, patience, compassion, and good listening
skills are necessary.
It is important for audiologists to be aware of new
diagnostic and treatment technologies. Most audiologists participate in
continuing education courses to learn new methods and technologies.
With experience, audiologists can advance to open their own
private practice. Audiologist working in hospitals and clinics can advance
to management or supervisory positions.
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by the US
Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
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