According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual mean wage in the Rochester area for audiologists is $80,730.
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Carolynne Pouliot, doctor of audiology and owner of Hearing Aid Works in Penfield, initially thought that she wanted to become an engineer.
She entered the microelectronic engineering program at University at Buffalo hoping to eventually create processors in hearing aids.
“As I got further into the program, I realized I’m very much a people-person,” she said. “Instead of creating the chips that go into hearing aids, I’ll fit them on patients.”
She also had experience communicating with her deaf in-laws in American Sign Language. Instead of building hearing aids, she completed eight years of higher education, an internship and passed examinations to become an audiologist and practice with a hearing aid dispensing license.
“It’s very interesting because we do a mix of diagnostics,” Pouliot said. “We’re evaluating the hearing itself, the hearing mechanism. We make recommendation for treatment and oral rehabilitation. We work with tinnitus and hearing loss. We do counseling. When you lose your hearing, there can be a grief process and coming to terms with having a hearing loss and what it means in your communication every day.”
Although the high-tech world of hearing aids has come a long way even in the past 15 years, hearing loss cannot be restored at the same level as glasses can provide visual acuity. That’s hard on Pouliot. She also said that helping patients understand and use complex technology such as Bluetooth-equipped hearing instruments can be challenging, as can keeping the device working well, even for those comfortable with technology.
Thankfully, more and more people are becoming accustomed to technology as those in their 50s and 60 who are hearing aid users likely used or continue to use technology as part of their work and personal life as they’ve done for a couple of decades.
“We see people texting now, older people having cell phones now,” Pouliot said. “We’re starting to get into the age where people can handle the technology. They’re better with it.”
She foresees that eventually the technology learning curve should flatten considerably.
Audiologists can work in a variety of scenarios, including representing manufacturers, working in private practice, and at hospitals, schools, the VA and nursing homes.
“There’s a high need as the baby boomers are aging,” Pouliot said. “There will always be a need for audiologists. Even as the technology gets better and there are more over-the-counter devices, the need for audiologists won’t go away because there are so many more aspects than just the device.
“That human component when things go wrong and also making sure we’re participating in best practices. There are a lot of aspects to this that can’t be replaced by a computer. You’re getting into a career where you’re really helping people. Communication is so important at all ages.”
She finds her work very rewarding, as she helps supply the missing piece in a person’s ability to interact with the world around him.
“When people say their tinnitus has gone away and they can hear their grandchild, it’s very fulfilling,” she said. “Many say It’s so much better than they expected. Following best practices for audiology and doing things that make a better fitting closes that gap, you get someone to hear who couldn’t hear before.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual mean wage in the Rochester area for audiologists is $80,730.