Working with patients who have balance issues or hearing issues, audiologists diagnose conditions and provide individualised treatment plans. Patients are evaluated by them on the basis of their physical examination, family medical history, and symptoms. If an ailment can be treated, audiologists refer patients to other medical specialists or offer audiology services to treat the disease.
Obligations
Through diagnosis, management, and therapy, an audiologist in Singapore helps patients with problems related to their ears, hearing, and balance. Although your areas of expertise may vary in this position, your daily responsibilities will usually involve the following tasks:
Examine patients who have balance issues, hearing loss, or other ear-related issues.
Conduct evaluations and hearing exams, as well as identify any physical or psychological problems.
Examine the test findings and medical history.
Provide tinnitus treatment, balance therapy, and aural rehabilitation.
Encourage patients to use assistive technology and lip read.
Carry out ear wax removal techniques.
For treatment, surgery, and specialised care, refer patients to other qualified medical specialists.
Provide preventative treatment to patients by providing earmuffs and earplugs.
Which abilities are necessary for becoming an audiologist?
In addition to the clinical and academic knowledge gained in areas like patient assessment and hearing aid fitting, audiologists need to have soft skills that set them apart from the competition. These soft talents include:
Patience: Audiologists should have empathy and patience for patients who might not be responding well to their treatment or who could be finding it difficult to accept their diagnosis.
Problem-solving: Making a diagnosis requires some degree of problem-solving. As an audiologist, you ought to be able to make decisions about the patient’s care and give advice based on your assessment of the situation and the evidence at hand.
Time management: The ability to stick to a schedule and handle appointments while remaining available for patients calls for strong time management skills.
Critical reasoning
An audiologist must look beyond conventional diagnoses and treatments to address a patient’s non-standard ailment. The audiologist can decide on a course of action by using critical thinking skills, applying all of their expertise, and consulting with others. To effectively care for their patients, audiologists need to possess this crucial talent.
Communication: Audiologists have direct patient and family interactions, breaking down complex material into understandable chunks. They converse with other medical professionals on various levels as well.
What conditions are treated by audiologists?
Audiologists treat more than just hearing problems; they are specialists in auditory diseases. The following are common ailments that audiologists diagnose and treat:
Hearing loss: Assisting patients with hearing loss is the most typical function of an audiologist. Patients receiving treatment for hearing loss may be able to restore some hearing, stop additional loss, or improve how well they manage their hearing loss.
Tinnitus: also referred to as ringing ears, is another prevalent hearing problem that sends people to an audiologist. To identify the source and the best course of action for treating the ringing, an audiologist can conduct an examination and ask the appropriate questions.
Balance problems: Although you might not think of your balance as a hearing problem, equilibrium is controlled by the inner ear systems. The patient’s inner ear can be examined by the audiologist, who can also conduct tests to identify possible reasons for the balance problems and create a treatment plan to help the patient restore coordination.
Deafness is a complicated disability. The kind and severity of hearing loss can have a wide range of effects on quality of life. The most compassionate approach is, without question, to fully recompense all hearing impaired people worldwide for their hearing aids.