Audiologists: The Doctoral Difference in Hearing Healthcare

What Is An Audiologist and What Education Do They Have?

The credentials behind your hearing healthcare provider matter more than you might think. Dr. Jill Copley reveals the significant differences between audiologists and hearing aid dispensers that could transform your hearing health journey.

Audiologists bring doctoral-level expertise to hearing care, completing extensive education that prepares them to diagnose and treat the full spectrum of hearing and balance disorders. Unlike hearing instrument specialists, audiologists can perform specialized diagnostic testing that identifies conditions requiring medical intervention, collaborate with ENT physicians, conduct balance assessments, and safely remove ear wax—skills that extend far beyond simply fitting hearing aids.

When it comes to managing conditions like tinnitus, audiologists offer unique advantages through their understanding of the neurological connections between hearing loss and tinnitus. They're trained in various treatment approaches, from specialized sound therapy systems to hearing instruments that help redirect the brain's attention away from tinnitus sounds. This comprehensive approach addresses not just the hearing loss itself, but the full range of associated conditions that impact quality of life.

If you're ready to experience the difference doctoral-level hearing care can make, contact Total Hearing Care in the DFW Metroplex to schedule your appointment today.

To learn more about Total Hearing Care visit:
https://www.TotalHearingCare.com

Total Hearing Care
Multiple Locations Across the DFW Metroplex
[phone]

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Total Hearing Care Difference where we
help you experience lifethrough better hearing.
Hosted by the experts at TotalHearing Care, a leading private
audiology practice serving theDFW Metroplex, we're here to
provide guidance on hearing loss, tinnitus and the latest
advancements in audiology.
Transform your life throughbetter hearing.

(00:23):
Let's get started.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Not all hearing professionals are created equal.
Discover the training andexpertise that sets audiologists
apart and why that matters foryour hearing health.
Welcome back everyone.
I'm Sophia Yvette, co-hostslash producer, back in the
studio with Dr Jill Copley.
Dr Copley, how's it going today?
Going great, sophia.
It's so good to be back andit's great to have you back Now

(01:00):
for our listeners who don't knowwhat's an audiologist and what
education do they have?

Speaker 3 (01:07):
Okay, so an audiologist is a healthcare
professional that is able todiagnose and treat hearing loss,
as well as diagnose and dotesting for balance disorders
and do testing for balancedisorders.
Our education includes abachelor's degree of college as

(01:29):
well as going into a doctoratedegree for specifically in
audiology.
Some audiologists still havejust a master's degree, but
around year 2000, we switched toa doctorate degree, so every
new person coming out of schoolfor audiology is going to have a

(01:50):
doctorate.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Wow.
So, Dr Copley, what's thedifference between an
audiologist and a hearing aiddispenser?

Speaker 3 (02:01):
Okay, so that's a great question.
So part of the difference isjust the college education.
So our education for anaudiologist is going to focus on
lots of different things.
It's going to focus on what wethink of as hearing aids that's
what people think but it's alsobased on diagnostic testing.
So we do special testing foranother hearing professional

(02:25):
which is an otolaryngologist oran ENT, and our testing can let
them know if you have thingslike ear infections or if you
need surgery.
So that goes into that.
We can do balance testing.
A hearing aid instrumentspecialist cannot do balance

(02:46):
testing.
We can perform wax removal andmost instrument specialists
cannot do that.
We also have a lot of coursesin things like counseling,
business and other aspects ofhearing that hearing instrument
specialists don't need to taketo get their license.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Wow.
Now how does audiologisttraining prepare them to manage
tinnitus?

Speaker 3 (03:15):
repair them to manage tinnitus.
So tinnitus is another aspectthat goes along typically with
hearing.
So when we look at somebodywith tinnitus, that's going to
indicate that there's somedamage somewhere in the hearing
system and typically that willgo along with hearing.
So when we are studying hearingloss, in a way we're also

(03:39):
studying tinnitus, because itall comes from the same areas of
the brain and so they just gotogether and we also look at the
technology that's available tohelp with tinnitus and there can
be lots of different things.
I think in another podcast oneof our audiologists talked about
a system called Lanier, whichis a feedback system you can use

(04:02):
.
One of the best treatments fortinnitus is using hearing
instruments.
Hearing instruments kind ofgive the brain something
different to listen to, so yourbrain is not listening to your
tinnitus.
That's an easy way to put it.
But those are all things thatwe learn and a lot of it has to
do with the neurology in thebrain.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
So why is it important for patients to seek a
licensed audiologist?

Speaker 3 (04:32):
So it's important to seek a licensed audiologist One,
basically because of the law.
So legally, we are the ones thatcan work with you with your
hearing, with your hearing aids.
To have protections In the state, it's important to work with an

(04:53):
audiologist directly, meaningsomething like if you get
something online, you may notknow who guarantees that
warranty.
You may not get a warranty, youmay not be able to return the
devices if something doesn'twork for you, but if you go
through a licensed audiologistin your state, you will have a

(05:16):
guarantee of a warranty on thedevices, a guarantee of service
with the audiologist, as well asthe ability to return something
if it doesn't work with you orswitch out to something
different, a differenttechnology that might work
better for you.
And you can't always do that.
When you're working online orworking with friends or

(05:40):
something like that, we can alsomake sure everything is fitting
properly, that we are sittingacross from you and working with
you to make sure the sound isokay and that you're getting the
benefit that you need.
When you work with people thatdon't have that experience or
you're working online, you maynot get that precise fitting

(06:03):
that you're needing.

Speaker 2 (06:05):
Now, what kinds of continuing education do
audiologists complete to staycurrent?

Speaker 3 (06:14):
So audiologists in Texas Now I'm talking about the
state of Texas, because eachstate is a little different.
Each state can create their ownlaws for licensure.
In Texas we have to have atleast 10 hours of continuing
education each year has to be inethics of audiology, and that

(06:41):
one hour is actually every twoyears, but it comes out to about
10 hours a year.
I also have a boardcertification in audiology and
what that requires is 20 hours ayear, so 60 hours every three
years, and that requiresdifferent kinds of continuing
education.
So some continuing educationyou can get from manufacturers

(07:03):
of products, whether that'samplified telephones or hearing
aids or equipment, and thenother continuing education you
can get based on research, andso I have to have both.
I'm required to have both aswell as the ethics hours that
are required by the state.

Speaker 2 (07:23):
Wow.
So, dr Copley, when it comes tohearing, do you ever think
we'll reach a phase where it'llbe completely solved and people
can 100% get their hearing backrestored just as it was in the
beginning?

Speaker 3 (07:41):
You know that's a great question.
I think science is definitelyworking towards that.
The thing with hearing is it'sdestroying certain cells.
Certain cells are very damagedand so scientists have to figure
out a way to recreate thosecells, and they are certainly
working at it.
I don't think it would happenin my lifetime, but do I think

(08:03):
it could happen?
I do.
I think anything's possiblewith science.
It's not at the level ofworking in a human yet, but I
could see it certainly gettingthere at some point in the
future.

Speaker 2 (08:18):
Well.
Thank you so much for yourhelpful insights today.
Dr Copley, it was a pleasurespeaking with you and we'll
catch you on the next episode.
Have a wonderful rest of yourday, Thank you my pleasure.

Speaker 1 (08:31):
Thank you for listening to the Total Hearing
Care Difference.
If you're in the DFW Metroplexand ready to take the next step
toward better hearing, call469-218-4853 to book an
appointment or visitTotalHearingCarecom, because
when you hear better, you livebetter.
See you next time.