Audiologist

What this life looks like

Hearing is the sense through which we learn language, connect with others, learn at school, and participate in society. For the approximately 34 million children and adults with disabling hearing loss in Africa, the inability to hear is not just a sensory loss – it is a barrier to education, communication, employment, and full participation in life. As an Audiologist you assess hearing and balance, diagnose hearing disorders, fit hearing aids, advise on cochlear implants, manage tinnitus and vestibular disorders, work with newborns and children in early identification of hearing loss programmes, and counsel people and families on living with hearing impairment. In Africa hearing loss is disproportionately caused by preventable factors: infections including meningitis, measles, and chronic ear disease, noise exposure, and ototoxic medications. Yet services for hearing loss are so sparse that most people with hearing impairment never have their condition diagnosed, never receive a hearing aid, and never access the support they need. The audiologist who works in Africa enters a profession of extraordinary need and extraordinary impact.

What she actually does

An Audiologist conducts pure tone audiometry and other hearing assessments, diagnoses conductive and sensorineural hearing loss, fits and programmes hearing aids, assesses candidates for cochlear implantation, conducts newborn hearing screening, manages tinnitus and vestibular disorders, provides aural rehabilitation including communication strategies and hearing assistive technology, and advises schools and workplaces on accommodating people with hearing loss.

Where you can work

Why it matters in Africa

Africa has one of the highest rates of disabling hearing loss in the world, driven by preventable infections and inadequate treatment of ear disease. Most children with hearing loss in Africa are not identified until school age or later, by which point language development has already been significantly affected. Hearing loss is one of the most common complications of meningitis, which is prevalent across Africa. Yet the number of audiologists per population in Africa is among the lowest in the world. Early identification and intervention for hearing loss can dramatically change a child's developmental trajectory.

Your pathway in

Biology and Mathematics at secondary school are most important. You then complete a Bachelor of Audiology or Bachelor of Communication Pathology degree, typically four years, with audiology as a specialisation. In Africa audiology training programmes are available primarily in South Africa. After graduating you register with your national health professions council. Postgraduate specialisation in paediatric audiology, cochlear implant audiology, or industrial audiology is available.

Skills you will need

Technical: Pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry, immittance testing, otoacoustic emissions testing, auditory brainstem response testing, hearing aid fitting and programming, cochlear implant candidacy assessment, and aural rehabilitation. Human: The ability to communicate with patients including young children and older adults who may have very different needs and abilities, patience in fitting and adjusting hearing aids which is an iterative process, counselling skills for families adjusting to a diagnosis of hearing loss in a child, and sensitivity to the cultural dimensions of disability. Digital tools: Audiometric testing equipment, hearing aid programming software, newborn screening databases, and tele-audiology platforms.

A woman in this field

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