Audiology As A Medical Profession

By Roxanne Cruz


The branch of science that studies hearing, balance and its disorder is called audiology. Catering to the needs of every child and adult, Long Island audiology has been serving for quite sometime. Audiology specialists, or audiologists, are health care professionals who have a specialization in diagnosing and treating disorders of the ears and its parts and other related issues.

Apart from that, they can employ various testing strategies to identify if you are within normal listening range or if you are affected to what degree. They can dispense hearing aids, cochlear implants and recommend whatever options available that may be of assistance. They can even counsel families whose family member is undergoing a new diagnosis, and teach them the necessary compensation skills.

Various assessments are used by audiologists to diagnose ear problems like evoked potential exams, otoscopy, and speech audiometry. These tests are done with calibrated equipment in a soundproofed place. A type of assessment is the otoscopy, which assesses the state of the eardrum and outer ear canal.

Tympanometry is an examination to test the middle ear, the mobility of the eardrum, and the conduction bones by creating variations of air pressure in the ear canal. Speech audiometry is a fundamental tool in assessing hearing loss and it determines if a person has discomfort or tolerance to speech stimuli and it gives information on word recognition abilities. Pure tone audiometry is the key test to determine the threshold level of an individual that determines the degree of sensory loss.

Otoacoustics emissions evaluation is an assessment of the inner ear, particularly the cochlea, which is the organ of auditory sense. Vestibular assessment is for those who are having issue in balance and who are always dizzy. Evoked potential test measures the time it takes for the nerves to respond to a stimulus like a test pattern.

These tests are used to evaluate the patient, hence making a confident diagnosis and treatment plan. Aside from identifying and treating the disorder, they also give options on how to manage your ear problems, some of these are aid amplification and rehabilitation programs. Audiologists can make the necessary adjustments to your listening aid since they are equipped with the knowledge to make a proper decision.

Audiologists are usually part of a cohesive team of health care specialists, like physicians, physical therapists, speech pathologists, and occupational therapists, to bring a more effective treatment program. Most ear doctors work with the general populace, but there are some who specialize in working with children. Others are more interested in research related to hearing disorders and some opt to work in schools.

To practice, you need four years of undergraduate study and four years of education and professional training before you will earn your doctorate in audiology. For you to be knowledgeable and prepared diagnosing and treating disorders, you need to have at nearly two thousand hours of clinical rotations which are supervised. In all states, audiologists should have a proper license.

This field is rapidly growing and has become high in demand across the globe since many states have required newborns to be tested for auditory sense loss and receive early intervention when needed. Elderly people and young children are usually the patients of these doctors, who are often involved directly in the clinical work. To experience a good quality life through hearing, visit Long Island Audiology.




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