Audiologist

Imagine a job where you get to make a real difference in people's lives by helping to improve their hearing. Sound like a career for you?

You'd work with babies, children and adults suffering from hearing loss. They may also have additional support needs such as sight loss or learning disabilities. By testing their hearing, you'd find the right solution to support them.

You might help a child hear their first words clearly. Or support someone to reconnect with their loved ones through conversation. You'll be the reason they can experience the world in a whole new way.

You'll need to be a patient problem-solver. A knack for putting people at ease and communicating well is important too.

Your tasks might include:

• carrying out auditory tests for babies, children, and adults

• testing a person’s sense of balance and checking for inner ear disorders

• examining a patient’s outer ears, ear canal, and eardrum

• taking impressions of a patient’s ear to create an ear mould for a hearing aid

• helping other healthcare professionals diagnose the cause of a patient’s hearing loss

• testing and maintaining hearing devices

• providing counselling and support to help patients adjust to their hearing loss

• providing information on communication, adapting to different listening environments and using assistive equipment

• British Society of Audiology – professional organisation for people working in audiology

• NHS Education for Scotland – recruitment and careers information

• NHS Careers – discover pay rates for roles in the NHS