Audiologist/Audiometrist
Kaimātai Ororongo/Kaimātau Ororongo
Audiologists and audiometrists study, identify, measure and treat hearing loss and ear disorders. They also provide aids and other listening devices to assist patients with hearing loss.
Pay
Audiologists usually earn
$50K-$120K per year
Audiometrists usually earn
$47K-$75K per year
Source: NZ Audiological Soc, 2021 and DHBs/PSA, 2020.
Job opportunities
Vocational PathwaysPay
Audiologist pay
Pay for audiologists varies depending on experience and where they work.
- Trainee audiologists working under supervision usually earn between $50,000 and $70,000 a year.
- Qualified audiologists working in public hospitals or schools for the deaf usually earn between $65,000 and $90,000.
- Audiologists working in private audiology practices can earn between $75,000 and $120,000.
Audiometrist pay
Pay for audiometrists varies depending on experience and where they work.
- Audiometrists usually earn between $47,000 and $75,000 a year.
Sources: New Zealand Audiological Society, 2021; and District Health Boards and Public Service Association, 'Allied, Public Health and Technical Multi Employer Collective Agreement', 2020.
(This information is a guide only. Find out more about the sources of our pay information)
What you will do
Audiologists/audiometrists may do some or all or the following:
- study, identify and measure hearing problems using specialised equipment
- advise on hearing problems and prescribe, select and fit hearing aids
- help patients with rehabilitation after hearing loss
- repair hearing aids and supply hearing aid batteries.
Audiologists may also:
- research hearing problems
- assess and manage problems processing sound
- do assessments of workplace and classroom sound levels
- adjust a client’s cochlear implants until the sound is clear.
Skills and knowledge
Audiologists/audiometrists need to have knowledge of:
- hearing problems
- the latest treatment of hearing problems
- the structure and function of the ear and brain
- hearing aids and other hearing devices
- acoustics and physics
- child development.
Knowledge of New Zealand Sign Language may be helpful.
Working conditions
Audiologists/audiometrists:
- usually work regular business hours
- work in hospitals, private practices, universities and hearing aid companies
- may travel nationally to attend conferences, or visit clinics, rest homes or people's houses to conduct hearing tests.
What's the job really like?
Audiologist video
Teresa Burns talks about life as an audiologist - 2.23 mins.
quiet environment. We audiologists don't like noise,
so it's nice to have that as part of my day.
My name's Teresa Burns and I'm an audiologist.
An audiologist is a healthcare professional who helps people with
their hearing. We do hearing testing, we fit hearing aids,
and we sometimes do wax removal. So I'm meeting up with my first patient
today who is going to have a hearing evaluation. So I'm gonna look in his ears,
we're gonna do a test on his middle ear system to see if that's working
properly. And then we're gonna do a hearing test in the sound booth.
I'm gonna put some headphones in Chris's ears and give him a little button to
push when he hears a beep or a whistle. So I'll start by presenting a sound
here, which is kind of a moderate level, and Chris has just responded there,
so I'm gonna go quieter, didn't respond. So now I'm going up.
Yep, and so that's the second time I've got a response there.
So I'm calling that a threshold,
which is the softest sound that he could hear about half the time. What we're
gonna do now is go over the results.
"So your hearing is pretty good in the low to mid pitches,
"but we are seeing this drop off in the high pitches." I do a lot of hearing aid
work, which I really enjoy, cos the technology's pretty cool these days.
Back when I first started in audiology,
basically hearing aids look like that or even bigger.
But basically all of these connect up to my computer and start us off
with an appropriate setting.
So I think that's something quite unique about audiology,
that we have a medical side,
but we also have a technology side. You've gotta be good with people because
what we do is, is face -to-face. I've been told that I've saved marriages,
I've been told, I've
brought back joy of listening to sounds they haven't heard for a long time.
So it's a really rewarding thing to be doing. In New Zealand,
if you want to be an audiologist,
you first have to do a 3-year Bachelor of Science and then you do
a 2 year master's program in audiology.
I chose a career as an audiologist because I was interested in
helping people and I, I love it and I've been doing it for 26 years and I,
I really do love what I do.
Entry requirements
Audiology training
To become an audiologist you need to have a Master of Audiology degree. You also need to be registered with the New Zealand Audiological Society.
- University of Auckland website - information about the Master of Audiology
- University of Canterbury website - information about the Master of Audiology
Audiometry training
To become an audiometrist you need to get a job as a trainee audiometrist first. You then study for a Diploma of Audiometry by distance learning with TAFE in Australia. You can then register with the New Zealand Audiological Society.
The Vulnerable Children Act 2014 means that if you have certain serious convictions, you can’t be employed in a role where you are responsible for, or work alone with, children.
Secondary education
A tertiary entrance qualification is required to enter further training. Useful subjects include biology, health education, maths, physics, te reo Māori and English.
Personal requirements
Audiologists/audiometrists need to be:
- patient
- understanding
- good listeners and able to relate to a wide range of people
- good communicators
- good at planning and research.
Useful experience
Useful experience for audiologists and audiometrists includes:
- work in rest homes
- work with people who have hearing impairments.
Physical requirements
Audiologists and audiometrists need to have:
- good eyesight (with or without corrective lenses)
- good hearing
- a clear speaking voice.
Registration
Audiologists and audiometrists need to be registered as a member of the New Zealand Audiological Society.
Find out more about training
- NZ Audiological Society
- 0800 625 166 - admin@audiology.org.nz - www.audiology.org.nz
What are the chances of getting a job?
Strong demand for audiologists
Chances of finding work as an audiologist are good because the number of graduates meets the demand caused by audiologists retiring or leaving.
Masters students have a good chance of finding work during their studies, but employment is not guaranteed.
According to the Census, 519 audiologists worked in New Zealand in 2018.
Audiologist and audiometrist both appear on Immigration New Zealand's Green List. This means the Government is actively encouraging skilled audiologists and audiometrists from overseas to work in New Zealand.
Health clinics and hospitals main employers
Most audiologists and audiometrists work for public and private audiology clinics or hospitals.
They may also work for:
- hearing-aid manufacturers
- universities, doing research and teaching
- education centres for people who are deaf or hearing-impaired
- the North Island or Southern Cochlear Implant programme
- government organisations, such as the Ministry of Health, doing consultancy work
- non-profit organisations such as the National Foundation for the Deaf.
Sources
- Association of New Zealand Audiology Incorporated (ANZAI) website, accessed January 2021, (www.anzai.org.nz).
- Immigration New Zealand, Green List, April 2023, (www.immigration.govt.nz).
- Mercer, A, administrator, New Zealand Audiological Society, careers.govt.nz interview, January 2021.
- New Zealand Audiological Society, ‘Careers in Audiology’, accessed January 2021, (www.audiology.org.nz).
- Stats NZ, '2018 Census Data', 2019.
- Welch, D, Dr., head of audiology, University of Auckland, careers.govt.nz interview, January 2021.
(This information is a guide only. Find out more about the sources of our job opportunities information)
Progression and specialisations
Audiologists may progress to become managers of audiology clinics or hospital departments. With further study, audiologists can become academics.
Audiologists may specialise in:
- identifying hearing loss
- assessment and diagnosis of hearing loss or disorders
- treatment of individuals with impairment of auditory and vestibular function
- research in normal and disordered auditory and vestibular function
- intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring.
Audiologists study and treat hearing disorders
Last updated 8 June 2023