Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
National Occupation Code (NOC): 3141
Audiologists diagnose, evaluate and treat individuals with peripheral and central hearing loss, tinnitus and balance problems. Speech-language pathologists diagnose, assess and treat human communication disorders including speech, fluency, language, voice and swallowing disorders. Audiologists and speech-language pathologists are employed in hospitals, community and public health centres, extended care facilities, day clinics, rehabilitation centres and educational institutions, or may work in private practice. Audiologists and speech-language pathologists who are supervisors are included in this unit group.
Job Duties for Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
Audiologists
- Develop and administer audiometric tests and examinations using specialized instruments and electronic equipment to diagnose and evaluate the degree and type of patients' hearing impairment
- Plan and implement habilitation/rehabilitation programs for patients, including selection, fitting and adjustment of amplification devices, such as hearing aids, balance retraining exercises and teaching speech (lip) reading
- Educate and counsel patients and families regarding the nature, extent, impact and implications of hearing loss and treatment
- Establish personalized care plans working as a member of an interdisciplinary team
- Conduct research related to hearing and hearing disorders
- May instruct and supervise audiometric technicians, students and other health care personnel.
Speech-language pathologists
- Administer tests and examinations and observe patients to diagnose and evaluate speech, voice, resonance, language, fluency, cognitive-linguistic and swallowing disorders
- Develop, plan and implement remedial programs to correct speech, voice, language, fluency, resonance, cognitive-linguistic and swallowing disorders
- Establish group and personalized care plans working as a member of an interdisciplinary team
- Educate and counsel patients and families regarding communication and swallowing disorders
- Conduct research on speech and other communication disorders and on the development and design of diagnostic procedures and devices
- May instruct and supervise communicative disorders assistants, students and other health care personnel.
Working Conditions for Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
Work is often performed in a variety of indoors settings: examples include government agencies, health departments, community centres, hospitals, schools, and private practices.
Alternate Job Titles
- Amplification Audiologist
- Audiologist
- Audiology Clinician
- Audiology Specialist
- Certified Audiologist
- Certified Hearing Aid Audiologist
- Clinical Audiologist
- Community Audiologist
- Community Speech-language Pathologist
- Diagnostic Audiologist
- Dispensing Audiologist
- Educational Audiologist
- Educational Speech-language Pathologist
- Human Communication Disorders Specialist
- Industrial Audiologist
- Logopedist
- Pediatric Audiologist
- Research Audiologist
- Speech And Hearing Therapist
- Speech Pathologist
- Speech Therapist
- Speech-language Clinician
- Speech-language Pathologist
- Speech-language Pathologist Clinician
- Speech-language Pathologist Researcher
- Speech Language Pathologist
- Pathologist, Speech-language
- Speech And Language Pathologist - Temporary
- Community Speech & Language Pathologist
- Speech And Language Pathologist - 0.80 Temporary
- Speech Language Pathologist - Permanent, Part-Time
- Speech Language Pathologist (pediatrics)
- Speech Language Pathologist (whca) # 2022-33
- Speech Language Therapist
- Professional Lead - Speech Language