Audiologist assistants are those professionals who work as assistants to audiologists. Their average annual salary is $40,000. This article gives the detailed information about their salaries and educational requirements.
Audiologist assistants are professionals who, after acquiring proper training, work alongside audiologists, in order to treat those suffering from disorders associated with hearing and balance. They handle clerical responsibilities, perform screening, and manage testing processes for patients. An audiologist assistant’s key role is to support the audiologist by carrying out routine tasks, so that the audiologist is available for treating ailments which require high-level diagnosis. He’s responsible for accomplishment of varied tasks such as hearing-aids repair, maintenance of office equipment, record-keeping, billing, and other fundamental clerical duties. He also performs screenings for patients, and prepares them for testing processes. The responsibilities often depend upon the requirements of the work, and also the training and qualifications that he possesses.
Salary
A career as an audiologist assistant is an extremely rewarding one. Experienced career experts claim that this profession has the potential for steady, immense growth. As reported by the US News and World Report, audiology was ranked amongst the top 30 careers in 2009. This depicts that career prospects in this field are anything but disappointing, which reflects in its salary figures too. In the United States of America, the average salary of an audiologist assistant is $40,000 annually. While the employment percentage is expected to increase in the next six years, increase in salary figures automatically takes a hike. The following tabular data represents the average salary of in some of the major regions in the US.
| State/City | Salary (in USD) |
| Pittsburgh | $37,000 |
| Atlanta | $41,000 |
| Chicago | $43,000 |
| Denver | $44,000 |
| California | $45,000 |
| New York | $46,000 |
| Philadelphia | $49,000 |
*The above mentioned figures may vary depending on perks and incentives, and years of experience.
How to Become an Audiologist Assistant
According to the American Academy of Audiology, the minimum educational requirement to get into this field is a high-school diploma with a background in science, preferably biology. Many experienced audiologists provide competency-based training to individuals they hire for assistance. They are expected to perform various duties assigned to them. The duties include general office and clerical duties, patient preparation, balance testing, neonatal nursing, and hearing aids repair. Another approach to undergo this training is by means of a number of technical schools, colleges, and military institutions. Any aspirant ought to take into account requirements such as license and certification procedures of his region.
Hearing loss affects the elderly population the most, and hence, the demand for audiology specialists who can efficiently diagnose, assess, and treat all kinds of hearing impairments is increasing by the day.