No. These titles reflect the broader ACAud certification category, but not every practitioner certified within that category provides every service. Services depend on the practitioner’s education, training, experience, demonstrated competence, current certification and clinical setting. Some practitioners develop additional expertise in particular areas throughout their careers.
A practitioner’s professional title describes their main professional category, but it may not describe everything they are qualified and certified to do.
Some ACAud certified Audiometrists, Hearing Rehabilitation Audiologists and Audiologists undertake additional education, clinical training and competency assessment in particular areas of hearing care. Where an additional certification or competency has been formally recognised, that area becomes part of the practitioner’s scope of practice.
This means that two practitioners with the same professional title may have different areas of recognised practice depending on their qualifications, certifications, experience and demonstrated competence.
Consumers are encouraged to ask their practitioner about their qualifications and certifications, or to check their current professional status with ACAud.
Your hearing care team may include:
· Audiometrists
· Hearing Rehabilitation Audiologists1
· Limited Scope Audiologists1
· Audiologists
· Audiometry Nurses
· Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Health Practitioners
· General Practitioners (GPs) and Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists
· Speech Pathologists, Teachers of the Deaf and other allied health professionals
When might an ACAud certified practitioner refer to or collaborate with another health professional?
The right person to see depends on the service you need. Good hearing care also means recognising when another practitioner is better placed to help.
Hearing practitioners may refer or work in shared care when a consumer needs medical investigation, additional assessment or another type of hearing or health service. Referral and shared care are normal parts of safe hearing healthcare.
What do the main hearing practitioner categories have in common?
Audiometrists, Hearing Rehabilitation Audiologists, Limited Scope Audiologists and Audiologists may all contribute to adult screening and diagnostic hearing assessment, hearing rehabilitation, communication support, hearing aid care, counselling, monitoring and referral. Members of ACAud and Audiology Australia are subject to the shared Code of Conduct for audiologists and audiometrists and are expected to practise within their recognised professional scope and demonstrated competence..
