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Wednesday, January 15, 2014

By Marissa Velazquez


In Long Island audiology as a term was coined from a Latin term audire, which means hear in the English language. Audiology refers to a branch of science which deals with the management, treatment, diagnosis, and study of disorders related to balancing and hearing in human beings. Professionals who diagnose, manage, treat, and study hearing-related problems are called audiologists. They have different qualification levels in different countries.

Audiologists treat people with hearing loss and also give treatment that prevent further damage to the hearing system. They do their job by use of various strategies such as otoacoustic emission measurements, electrophysiologic tests, videonystagmography, and hearing tests. All these techniques and many more aim at determining if a patient can hear within the normal range. They also determine which section of hearing is impaired in people who cannot hear in the normal range.

There are 3 portions of hearing that mainly become impaired, that is, low, high, and middle frequencies and they all get impaired to varying levels. After doing tests and impairment like vestibular abnormality or hearing loss is established, practitioners prescribe one of various options for one to choose from. Various options currently available in such circumstances include appropriate medical referrals, cochlear implants, surgery, and hearing aid.

Audiologists have training in diagnosis, management, and treatment of balancing and hearing problems. Besides that, they have the authority to recommend and map cochlear implants and dispense hearing aids. They counsel families that have infants with hearing loss and also help people who become deaf at old age how to cope with the situation by teaching compensation skills. As such, they are also found in rehabilitation centers.

Audiologists are also recognized for helping in implementing school and new-born hearing screening programs and individual or industrial hearing safety programs. They dispense special fitting ear gadgets among other protective equipment that safeguard adults and infants against becoming deaf. Some decide to work in research programs in the capacity of auditory scientists. They spend a lot of hours in a working and their work environments are similar to that of several other medical professionals.

In some states in USA, for one to work as an audiologist at clinical level they need to be doctors of audiology. Other states that do not have that requirement are expected to adopt this trend soon. During the study, learners are supposed to sit for and pass national examinations and various competencies stipulated by the body concerned with regulation of this practice in the United States. There is also a 12-month full time, supervised practice experience that students must attend.

Students have comprehensive knowledge in acoustics, anatomy, physiology, electrophysiology, cochlear implants, physiochophysics, neurology, counseling, and sign language. Audiologists usually graduate a masters degree, ScD, STI, PhD, or Au. D depending on the state and school attended. A license or permit in dispensing of gadgets that magnify sound is required for specialists to prescribe and dispense the devices.

Long Island audiology is very advanced. It is carried out by qualified professionals who use very sophisticated and top of the class equipment. Facilities that provide these services are uniformly spread within the area for ease of access to them at any time.




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