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Patient care

Audiologist

Tests hearing and balance, finds the cause of problems and helps people manage them with hearing aids, implants and therapy.

Audiologists work in hospital clinics, community services, schools and high-street hearing centres, with patients from newborn babies to older adults. It suits people who like a mix of physics, technology and patient care, and who can explain results calmly.

Also called Clinical audiologist, Dispensing audiologist, Educational audiologist or Paediatric audiologist.

At a glance

Way in
Bachelor's degree, often in audiology, healthcare science and hearing science
Pay in the US
$95,780 a year, the medianFor audiologists, 2025
Pay in the UK
£32,000 starting to £57,000 with experience
US outlook
Much faster than average, 2025-2035
Suits you if
You enjoy physics and technology and like helping people one to one.

Pay is a guide: it moves with the country, the employer, the sector and the years in the job. Figures from O*NET OnLine (US) and the National Careers Service (UK); see the sources below.

The work

What does an audiologist do?

  • Run hearing and balance tests and read the results to work out what is wrong.
  • Fit and fine-tune hearing aids, then check how well they work for each patient.
  • Assess babies and children referred after newborn hearing screening.
  • Support people with tinnitus or balance problems through advice and therapy.
  • Keep clear patient records and refer people to ear, nose and throat doctors when needed.

Where they work

  • NHS and private hospitals
  • Community hearing clinics
  • High-street hearing centres
  • Schools and children's services

Skills

The skills an audiologist needs

  • Clinical testingaudiometry, tympanometry and balance assessment
  • Ear anatomyhow sound reaches the brain and where it can fail
  • Clear communicationexplaining results to worried patients and families
  • Technical skillprogramming and adjusting hearing devices
  • Patienceworking with babies, older adults and people with dementia
  • Record keepingaccurate notes and referral letters

Route in

How to become an audiologist

  1. Study biology and physics or maths at school to prepare for a science degree.
  2. Complete an accredited audiology course: a bachelor's degree in the UK, or a Doctor of Audiology (AuD) in the US.
  3. Build clinical experience on supervised placements in hearing clinics.
  4. Get the licence or registration your country asks for: a state licence in the US, a voluntary register in the UK.

Degrees people take

  • Audiology
  • Healthcare science
  • Hearing science

In the UK, the usual route is a healthcare science (audiology) degree through the NHS Practitioner Training Programme. In the US, audiologists usually need a Doctor of Audiology (AuD) and a state licence.

Practise for it

The quizzes and tools that fit

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Next to it

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Sources

Where the facts come from

Written for biofideX from these public sources. The pay figures are theirs, copied as published, last read 2026-10-25.

Requirements differ by country and change over time; check with the body that registers the profession where you will work. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we'll correct it.

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