An audiologist is a healthcare professional specializing in identifying, diagnosing, treating and monitoring disorders of the auditory and vestibular system portions of the ear. Audiologists are trained to manage and/or treat hearing or balance problems. They also help design and implement personal and industrial hearing safety programs, newborn hearing screening programs, school hearing screening programs, and provide special fitting ear plugs and other hearing protection equipment to help prevent hearing loss. This article is about compression waves. ... The vestibular system, or balance system, is the sensory system that provides the dominant input about movement and equilibrioception. ... For other uses, see Ear (disambiguation). ... Hearing (or audition) is one of the traditional five senses, and refers to the ability to detect sound. ... An earplug is a protective device that is meant to be inserted in the ear canal to protect the wearers hearing from loud noises or the intrusion of water or excessive wind. ...

In the past, audiologists have typically held a master's degree and the appropriate healthcare license. In the United States, starting in 2007, audiologists will be required to receive a doctoral degree (Au.D. or Ph.D.) in audiology from an accredited university graduate or professional program before practicing. All states require licensing, and audiologists may also carry national board certification (the CCC-A or the ABA). Au. ... Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. ...

The starting salary for an audiologist is approximately $55,000 in the US and can range to well over $100, 000. If audiologists are required to get doctoral degrees this may result in a shortage in the future which could push up the average salary higher.^{[citation needed]}

An audiologist is not simply a Hearing Aid Dispenser. Hearing aid dispensers have less training and more limited skills.

See also

• Audiology
• Sensorineural hearing loss
• Conductive hearing loss
• Mixed hearing loss
• Unilateral hearing loss
• Asymmetrical hearing loss
• Auditory Neuropathy
• (Central) Auditory Processing Disorder
• Ototoxicity
• Noise induced hearing loss
• Auditory brainstem response (ABR)
• Otoacoustic emissions
• Tympanometry
• Acoustic Reflexes
• Reflex Decay
• Audiometry/Behavioral Hearing Test (BOA, VRA, CPA, Standard)
• Balance disorders
• Electronystagmography (ENG/VNG)
• Computerized Dynamic Posturography
• Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential (VEMP)
• Earplugs
• Hearing Aids
• BAHA
• Cochlear implant

Audiology is the branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and their disorders. ... Sensorineural hearing loss is a type of hearing loss in which the root cause lies in the vestibulocochlear nerve (Cranial nerve VIII), the inner ear, or central processing centers of the brain. ... Conductive hearing loss is a failure in the efficient conduction of sound waves through the outer ear, typanic membrane (eardrum) or middle ears (ossicles). ... People with unilateral hearing loss can hear normally in one ear, but have trouble hearing out of the other ear. ... Ototoxicity is damage of the ear (oto), specifically the cochlea or auditory nerve and sometimes the vestibulum, by a toxin (often medication). ... Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is an increasingly prevalent disorder that is the result of exposure to high intensity sounds, especially over a long period of time. ... Auditory Brainstem Response or Auditory Brainstem Response Audiometry is a screening test to monitor for hearing loss or deafness in newborn infants. ... An otoacoustic emission (OAE) is a sound which is generated from within the inner ear. ... Balance is the result of a number of body systems working together. ... Electronystagmography (ENG) is a diagnostic test to record involuntary movements of the eye caused by a condition known as nystagmus. ... Silicone rubber earplugs for protection against water, dust etc. ... Behind the ear aid For the song, see Flood (They Might Be Giants album). ... BAHA(R) (Bone Anchored Hearing Aid) is a hearing aid system manufactured by Entific Medical Systems. ... Illustration of the internal parts of a cochlear implant. ...

References

Audiology Online - Audiology news, careers, education and information

External links

• American Academy of Audiology website
• Industrial Audiology Group, advice for musicians
• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
• Audiology.Net, Audiology Information for the Masses