A rewarding career
A caring person with empathy and sensitivity to the needs of people with hearing problems will make a good audiologist.
Local audiologist Yolandi du Plessis says she is a health-care professional who evaluates, diagnoses, treats and manages hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears) and balance disorders in people of all ages, from newborns to senior citizens..
They promote healthy hearing, communication competency and the quality of life through the prevention, identification, assessment and rehabilitation of hearing, auditory function, balance and other related systems.
Yolandi says hearing has an impact not only on communication but also interaction with others.
“Hearing problems not only have an effect on the person with the problem but the whole family,” she says.
The first step in becoming an audiologist is to obtain a bachelor’s degree.
Five to six year bachelor’s degree courses are presented at the University of Pretoria and the University of the Witwatersrand in Gauteng.
Yolandi says maths and science are necessary subjects at school level.
Many students are dually qualified as audiologists and speech language therapists, and can work in private practices supplying both services.
“We work in provincial hospitals, education institutions or in specialised fields like cochlear implant teams,” she says.
An audiologist supplies and fits hearing aids and other assertive listening devices and does industrial diagnostic hearing evaluations.
“This is a good profession if you want to help people and make a difference in their lives,” she concludes.
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