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What is an audiologist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Sara Burdak

We all know how important all of the five senses are. We need them to make sense of the world around us. In order to take care of these senses, there are healthcare professionals who specialize in understanding, diagnosing, and treating concerns related to each of the five senses. If you have a strong affinity to the sense of hearing, a career as an audiologist might interest you.

Audiologists are licensed professionals who manage problems related to hearing. They also manage problems related to balance. To become an audiologist, one should have completed a degree in audiology. Often, this is equivalent to getting a master's degree in the said specialization. However, this is not a medical degree, and audiologists do not necessarily have to have a medical degree to practice.

If all of these sound interesting to you, you might want to consider this career! Just remember, even if this does not need a medical degree, you still need to have a passion for healing people effectively. It may get challenging, but it is a rewarding career.

What general advice would you give to an audiologist?

Dr. Sara BurdakDr. Sara Burdak LinkedIn profile

Chief Audiology Officer, Starkey Hearing Technologies

Never stop learning. Graduation is just the first step in your professional career. At Starkey, I’ve worn many hats, but I’ve always had a passion for training. I now oversee a global Education and Audiology team and our Government Services division, working with several thousand hearing healthcare professionals, on an annual basis, to provide better hearing to their patients. The hearing industry is always evolving. Just this year, Starkey unveiled the world’s first custom rechargeable hearing aid and a new feature called Edge Mode, which allows a hearing aid wearer to adapt to a new listening environment with just a simple tap of the device. As the needs of patients change, the hearing industry will need bright minds who are not afraid to take that next step in the hearing aid revolution.
ScoreAudiologistUS Average
Salary
4.3

Avg. Salary $55,657

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.0

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.9
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.53%

Asian 5.12%

Black or African American 0.99%

Hispanic or Latino 4.95%

Unknown 5.53%

White 82.86%

Gender

female 76.77%

male 23.23%

Age - 44
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44
Stress level
7.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
7.0

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an audiologist

  1. Explore audiologist education requirements

    Most common audiologist degrees

    Bachelor's

    48.2 %

    Master's

    33.1 %

    Doctorate

    15.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific audiologist skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Patients31.44%
    Rehabilitation13.25%
    Patient Care12.35%
    Hearing Loss7.85%
    Test Results7.51%
  3. Complete relevant audiologist training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New audiologists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an audiologist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real audiologist resumes.
  4. Research audiologist duties and responsibilities

    • Select and fit hearing instruments, and provide counseling and aural rehabilitation for hearing impair veterans and their families.
    • Conduct basic diagnostic testing procedures including pure tone audiometry, play audiometry, VRA, immittance, and DP OAE testing.
    • Administer aural rehabilitation to geriatric-psychiatric patients.
    • Involve in several FDA clinical trials of new cochlear implant devices.
  5. Prepare your audiologist resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your audiologist resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an audiologist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable audiologist resume templates

    Build a professional audiologist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your audiologist resume.
    Audiologist Resume
    Audiologist Resume
    Audiologist Resume
    Audiologist Resume
    Audiologist Resume
    Audiologist Resume
    Audiologist Resume
    Audiologist Resume
    Audiologist Resume
  6. Apply for audiologist jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an audiologist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first audiologist job

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Average audiologist salary

The average audiologist salary in the United States is $55,657 per year or $27 per hour. Audiologist salaries range between $25,000 and $121,000 per year.

Average audiologist salary
$55,657 Yearly
$26.76 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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