What is the difference between an Audiologist, a Hearing Instrument Specialist and an Otolaryngologist?
An Audiologist is a health care professional who is university trained to the Master’s degree or higher, and specializes in hearing-related communication disorders, including the physiology of speech and hearing organs, physics of sound, hearing loss, hearing loss prevention, aural rehabilitation, and treatment of hearing loss. In Canada, Audiologists will typically complete a four-year university undergraduate degree, followed by a two or three year Master’s (graduate) degree. Some Audiologists also obtain further schooling to hold either a Ph.D (usually for university or research positions) or an Au.D (a professional doctorate for clinical practice). The minimum educational requirement for an Audiologist to practice in Canada is a Master’s level degree. ‘Dispensing’ Audiologists will have further specialized training in fitting and dispensing hearing aids. Hearing instrument specialists (also called hearing aid dispensers, practitioners or dealers) have training in hearing testing, h
