How to Become a Hearing Aid Specialist
The Hearing Loss Association of America says about 36 million people suffering from hearing loss. This creates several opportunities for professionals with the right set of skills and training to become hearing aid specialists.
Hearing aid specialists assist the public by conducting tests to determine what type of hearing instrument will benefit them. They also take measurements and adjust hearing aids to ensure that their customers are comfortable.
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Instructions
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Check with your state for information on licensing requirements. Most states require professionals to obtain their license to sell or measure patients for hearing aids. Hearing aid specialist must meet the requirements set forth by their State Hearing Aid Specialists Board or Department of Health. These requirements may vary, but most state licensing boards require hearing aid specialists to pass a licensing exam (in most states this is the International Licensing Examination for the Hearing Instrument Dispenser). Licensing boards also have education, training and age requirements.
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Complete hearing aid specialist training. Hearing aid schools, colleges and distance-learning programs offer students an opportunity to complete their training in a few months to two years. Training programs include courses in anatomy of the ear, hearing aid technology and audiology. Students can also complete the four courses with the American Academy of Hearing Loss Support Specialists offered by the Hearing Loss Association of America that prepares them to work with hearing-loss patients.
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Complete an apprenticeship program. Most states have a training program for new licensees requiring them to complete an apprenticeship with a licensed sponsor before taking their licensing exam. Most trainees must complete three to six months of apprenticeship to meet this requirement. Some trainees may also be required to locate their own sponsor who has been approved by the state licensing board.
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Obtain a national board certification. A national certification is available through the National Board for Certification in Hearing Instrument Sciences (NBC-HIS). Hearing-aid specialists must have a minimum of two years of full-time experience and a state license to take the NBC-HIS certification exam. Applicants must submit their application and pay their exam fee to schedule their exam.
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Take continuing-education courses. The NBC-HIS and state licensing boards require hearingaid specialist to take continuing e-ducation courses. Most states require licensees to renew their license every two years. Hearing-aid specialists may be required to take 10, 20 or 24 hours of CE courses. Contact your state licensing boards to obtain a list of approved continuing-education providers. Refer to the Resources section below for a list of online CE courses approved by the NBC-HIS and offered by the International Hearing Society.
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References
Resources
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Comments
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You need to call around where you live and find and Hearing aid office (Dispenser) that will take you on and train you. And then take the state Lic exam.
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any help out there about how to become a licensed hearing instrument specialist? (state of illinois).
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is it possible to apprenticeship working with and for a hearing instrument. specialist in state of mo.
