Audiologists are health care professionals in the areas of hearing and balance. Hearing aid practitioners (HAPs) share a portion of this scope of practice concerning hearing assessment and hearing aid fittings. The level of training between the professions varies with most HAPs having completed a two year correspondence course, while audiologists have completed an undergraduate degree and a master’s degree (at minimum) lasting 6-8 years.
Audiologists work in a variety of work settings including private practice, public health, education systems, hospitals, universities, and hearing aid manufacturers. Another difference is the age range of clientele with audiologists being the only profession of the two to deal with the pediatric population (birth and up).
Audiologists are regulated in Saskatchewan through the Saskatchewan Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (SASLPA).