Qualifications to Become an Educational Audiologist
Audiologists evaluate patients with symptoms of hearing loss and determine the cause of the problem and the impact it has on the patient's life. An audiologist consults with the patient to help manage the condition, protect hearing and educate the patient and family members. The educational audiologist performs these duties for school age children.
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Undergraduate Degree
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Educational audiologists must complete an undergraduate education for entry to an audiologist program. Courses for audiologists include mathematics, chemistry, physics, psychology, biology, English and social science courses. According to the American Speech Language Hearing Association, coursework in phonetics and linguistics prepare the student for advanced studies.
Advanced Degree
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Educational audiologists must have a minimum of a master's degree education to work in the field. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 18 states require a doctorate degree for audiologists. Universities and colleges only offer audiology programs at the advanced level. Audiology programs for educational audiologists include anatomy, physiology, normal and abnormal communications, balance, pharmacology, auditory, neural system and ethics courses. The audiology program may also include clinical experience as well.
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Certification or Licensing
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Audiologists must have a license to work in the field, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Educational audiologists must meet state certification or licensing requirements for educators as well. Educational audiologists with a graduate degree qualify for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology, which the American Speech Language Hearing Association issues to trained audiologists after completing an examination.
Skills
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In addition to an advanced audiology education, the educational audiologist must be effective communicators and the ability to explain technical information in a non-technical manner. Audiologists must work with school staff and administrators as well. Professionals must have a good attention to detail for record keeping and observation of patients.
Continuing Education
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Licensed audiologists may be required to complete continuing education courses to maintain licensure and certification. Continuing education courses allow the educational audiologist to remain current in the latest techniques and information in the field.
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