How to Hire Audiologists

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If your employees experience a ringing in their ears, loss of hearing or increasingly bad balance, you may need to enlist the help of an audiologist for your business. While it may be easy to find an available audiologist through a quick online search, spending some time on your audiologist hiring process to make sure you find the perfect one will benefit your business more in the long run.

Keep reading to learn how to hire painters more efficiently and effectively, from writing a good job description to posting on a job search site like ZipRecruiter.

What is an audiologist?

Audiologists are doctors that deal with hearing loss and balance issues. Audiologists need to earn a bachelor’s degree and either a Doctor of Audiology (AuD), a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), a Doctor of Science (ScD) or a combination of the three in order to complete the basic audiologist requirements. Audiologists don’t need to complete medical training to become fully licensed audiologists.

Audiologists work in various industries. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the most common industries with the highest levels of employed audiologists are:

• Offices of Other Health Practitioners
• Offices of Physicians
• General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
• Health and Personal Care Retailers
• Elementary and Secondary Schools

What does an audiologist do?

Audiologists help patients deal with issues involving their hearing and balance impairments. They can treat people of all ages, from babies to older adults. Some of the common tasks that an audiologist will perform include:

• Evaluating patients
• Assessing and diagnosing hearing or balance issues
• Developing treatment plans
• Fittings
• Providing care
• Monitoring recovery efforts
• Educating patients on preventative measures for hearing loss
• Researching causes and solutions to disorders

Audiologists use new technology and devices to diagnose hearing and balance problems. They then use their expertise to develop treatment plans or solutions to deal with the diagnosed issues. In some cases, audiologists will need to fit patients with devices like hearing aids to improve their conditions.

Audiologist hiring explained: how to hire an audiologist

Knowing how to find great candidates and deciding which one would be a perfect fit as an audiologist for your business is crucial. Here are a few ways to approach this.

Consider what type of audiologist your business needs

Depending on your business, you must first understand the different types of audiologists. While all audiologists deal with hearing and balance issues, they may have different areas of specialization. The main types of audiologists are:

• Clinical audiologist: Clinical audiologists work in various settings that range from hospitals to retirement homes to schools. They work with patients of all ages and often work full-time.

• Audiology assistant: Audiology assistants work with certified and licensed audiologists and will carry out tasks assigned to them. Tasks may include minor repairs and checks to hearing aids or other amplification devices, ordering supplies and taking care of office duties.

• Pediatric audiologist: Pediatric audiologists specialize in diagnosing and treating hearing and balance-related issues in children from babies to teens. These audiologists also ensure that their patients' language and speech development are on course.

• Educational audiologist: Educational audiologists work within school systems and educational settings to assist students with hearing difficulties. Educational audiologists also help minimize the effects of hearing and balance issues on a student's academic performance.

• Dispensing audiologist: Dispensing audiologists prescribe hearing aids and other amplification devices that can improve the patient's hearing abilities. These audiologists will perform tests, select and order devices as well as program and fit them for the patient.

After determining which type of audiologist would work best in your business, you can move on to the next step in the hiring process.

Create an attractive career page or job board post

In order to attract top talent, you can take steps to improve your online presence. One way to do this is to create a career page. A career page allows you to feature your company in a positive light and promote your available positions. If you already have a page dedicated to your business, you may want to research how to create a better career page.

Another way to become more visible in search engines is to post your audiologist job opening on multiple job boards. Job seekers may come across your job by simply conducting an online search for "full-time jobs near me." Expanding your reach will draw more attention to your job openings and may result in receiving more applications. Make sure to post on the best job posting sites for employers to attain the best results.

When you post your job listing on a major job board like ZipRecruiter, the company will use resume scanning software to help you sort through the many resumes that candidates submit.

Write an audiologist job description

To write a good audiologist job description for a job board, you’ll need to include several things. Referencing an audiologist job description template can be an excellent way to start off, but you’ll need to customize it to your available role.

Good job descriptions should include an explanation of the available role that excites the reader and causes them to take action. You should include clear job responsibilities and requirements so that the potential applicant knows if they are qualified to perform the tasks needed. You should also write a brief overview of your company and what sets you apart from the competition.

Audiologist qualifications and experience

There are certain degree requirements needed to become an audiologist. Becoming a licensed audiologist in the U.S. will require a bachelor’s degree and a doctorate. The most common doctorate that audiologists possess is an AuD. There is no requirement to go to medical school to be an audiologist.

Attaining a license to practice in the U.S. is mandatory, but licensure requirements vary by state. In every state except Colorado, audiologists must pass the Praxis exam in order to get a license. Requirements for the amount of professional, clinical or part-time experience needed varies by state.

Audiologists can also decide to get a certification. The two main audiologist certifications are the ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology, which the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association offers, and the ABA Board Certification in Audiology, offered by the American Board of Audiology. A variety of voluntary audiologist certifications are also available, including:

• The Pediatric Audiology Specialty Certification
• The Cochlear Implant Specialty Certification
• The Intraoperative Monitoring Specialty Certification

Both licensing and certification will require fees.

Clinical and interpersonal skills

Audiologists must work with patients to evaluate and diagnose their hearing and balance issues. In order to be effective, they require different clinical and interpersonal skills. Some skills that audiologists need will include data analysis, critical thinking skills, and knowledge of medical information and devices. Some interpersonal skills that will benefit audiologists include patience, empathy, teamwork and active listening.

Duties and responsibilities

Audiologists are responsible for examining, diagnosing, monitoring and treating patients with hearing and balance problems that relate to the outer, middle and inner ear. These audiologists may need to use hearing aids or other devices that can assist the patients and solve their issues. Audiologists also need to educate patients about measures that can prevent hearing loss.

Start the interview process

Once you’ve accumulated some applicants and reviewed their resumes, you can cut down your list and decide who you’d like to interview. An excellent way to narrow your candidates is to filter them through the best background check sites. After making a list of interviewees, you should contact the applicants and schedule an interview.

Interview styles differ from company to company, but it is always a good idea to include behavioral interview questions. These types of interview questions ask the interviewee to use specific past examples to demonstrate their abilities and skillsets.

Some questions that you can ask in an interview include:

• Can you explain your process for examining patients?
• Which amplification devices are you familiar with?
• Have you ever had a patient return a hearing aid or amplification device? How did you deal with the situation?
• What is your personal philosophy on treatment?

Onboard your new audiologist hire

Once you’ve finished interviewing your top candidates, select the best fit for your business and extend an offer. Your hiring manager can begin the onboarding process by introducing your new audiologist to their role in the company and getting them set up to work. It’s always helpful to review tips on how to retain employees so that your new hire will stay with your company for the long term and you won’t need to repeat this hiring process.

Where to find audiologists for hire

To find qualified audiologists, an excellent place to start is always within your own network. Some friends, family members or professional connections may have contacts or leads to get you started. Contacting recruiters, employment agencies, or educational institutions may also help you find some prospects.

There are many resources available online that will help you in your search for an audiologist. One resource that may be useful is an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). This system is software that makes the recruiting and hiring process more manageable. It’s important to learn the best practices for using an ATS to get desirable results. Some of the best recruiting software available allows for ATS integration.

Audiologist vs ENT (Ear, nose and throat) doctors: key differences

Audiologists and ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctors are often confused. Both professions deal with issues hailing from the ear and ear canal but focus on different problems. The work of an audiologist focuses specifically on hearing and balance troubles but does not deal with the patient's overall health.

An ENT doctor tends to medical issues pertaining to a patient's ear, nose and throat. These issues may be diseases, infections or other conditions. ENT doctors can help manage these ear, nose and throat problems, but they can perform surgeries as well.

Summary of Money’s How to Hire Audiologists

If your business will benefit from a healthcare professional that can help patients with hearing and balance problems, you should consider hiring an audiologist. Hiring the right audiologist for your business doesn’t have to be difficult. By determining the type of audiologist you need, creating an online presence, filtering your applicants and interviewing the candidates, you’ll find a great match that fits your work culture.