Finding the right audiologist

Finding the right audiologist is essential. An audiologist is more than a health professional who is certified to deal with matters related to the ear; they are a partner and a consultant – somebody who can adjust to your needs as and when you need them.

The job of an audiologist is much more involved than performing hearing tests and then recommending suitable assistive hearing devices. It’s their role to tailor any hearing loss treatment to your lifestyle, encourage you to take action to protect your hearing and provide emotional support as you receive treatment. Choosing the right audiologist, therefore, is a holistic decision, as it can have a knock-on effect on your quality of life for years to come.

Audiologists should have the following qualities:

• Personalized service: All audiologists should customize their approach to the individual patient. A good audiologist will not only find a hearing solution which is suitable to the patient but also offer proper emotional support, depending on their personality. The audiologists and the patient should have a friendly rapport and the patient should trust the audiologist.
• Approachable: Patients need to feel like their audiologist is friendly – somebody they can talk to about their hearing problems without fear of attack. The best audiologists take their patients as they come, offering advice and support for whatever life situation they may have.
• Experienced: All audiologists in the US must go through rigorous certification. But learning about a job is very different from actually doing it. Ideally, you’ll want an audiologist with real-world experience of dealing with patients.

How to find the right audiologist

If you’re experiencing hearing loss, then you need the help of the right professional. But how do you find a great audiologist? Take a look at the following ideas.

Ask your general practitioner

General practitioners usually have your best interests at heart. As such, they are good people to go to for advice on who to pick as your audiologist. Doctors often know a lot about ear health and so they are in an excellent position to advise patients on which audiologists know their stuff and can provide sound advice and support. Speak with your doctor about whom you should visit and what you can expect from your initial consultation.

Ask people you know

Friends, family and acquaintances can all be a valuable source of information when choosing an audiologist. The people you know probably won’t be able to evaluate the quality of treatment offered by an audiologist from a medical perspective, but they will be able to tell you what they’re like as a person. The personality of your audiologist is important – ideally, you need to be able to get on with them and be able to confide in them. If you don’t feel comfortable with your audiologist, it could affect the quality of your treatment.

Read online reviews

Online reviews and ratings are a great way to find out a little more about an audiologist. People who feel strongly, either positive or negative, will often leave reviews encouraging or warning other people about a particular hearing health professional.

Choose an audiologist who operates nearby

If you have hearing loss, there’s a good chance that visits to the audiologist will become a regular part of your life. You may need to return to your audiologist on a regular basis for routine checkups, hearing aid adjustments and other ear-related health issues. Most people, therefore, choose audiologists who work near to where they live to make accessing them easier.

Check that your audiologist offers the services you need

In general, audiologists offer a relatively consistent range of services, but it’s always worth checking. The vast majority will offer comprehensive hearing tests, but if your hearing loss is caused by something unusual, then you may want to check that they have the facilities to test it. Furthermore, depending on your variety of hearing loss, you may need specific hearing aid models. Some audiologists, however, may not stock hearing aids with the features you require, so again it’s a good idea to check ahead of time.

Choosing a great audiologist need not be a complicated process. If you’re looking for a professional audiologist with all of the above traits and more, then get in touch with Desert Hearing Care by calling on (480) 374-1846.