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The differences between hearing aid specialists and hearing aid dispensers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a hearing aid specialist and a hearing aid dispenser. Additionally, a hearing aid specialist has an average salary of $56,107, which is higher than the $50,821 average annual salary of a hearing aid dispenser.
The top three skills for a hearing aid specialist include patients, financial aid and developmental disabilities. The most important skills for a hearing aid dispenser are hearing loss, patients, and hearing evaluations.
| Hearing Aid Specialist | Hearing Aid Dispenser | |
| Yearly salary | $56,107 | $50,821 |
| Hourly rate | $26.97 | $24.43 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 25,051 | 25,014 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A hearing aid specialist is required to provide hearing tests to clients and to interpret the results. Once results come in, if there is a need to recommend hearing aids, they take ear impressions and prepare hearing aids that are a perfect fit for the patient's ears. A hearing aid specialist's sole task is to select and fit hearing aids for clients.
Hearing aid dispensers are medical professionals who are responsible for evaluating the case of patients with hearing problems while recommending the best hearing aid to help improve their condition. These specialists must employ the hearing test called audiogram test that indicates the different degrees of hearing loss of their patients. They must guide their patients to go through the entire process of choosing the appropriate hearing aid. Hearing aid dispensers must also create ear impressions and earmolds to make the necessary adjustments to device settings to ensure a comfortable level of hearing.
Hearing aid specialists and hearing aid dispensers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Hearing Aid Specialist | Hearing Aid Dispenser | |
| Average salary | $56,107 | $50,821 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $112,000 | Between $27,000 And $94,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | - |
| Highest paying state | - | - |
| Best paying company | - | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a hearing aid specialist and a hearing aid dispenser in terms of educational background:
| Hearing Aid Specialist | Hearing Aid Dispenser | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Speech-Language Pathology |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between hearing aid specialists' and hearing aid dispensers' demographics:
| Hearing Aid Specialist | Hearing Aid Dispenser | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 48.9% Female, 51.1% | Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 9.6% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 10.3% White, 51.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |