Healthcare practitioners
Hearing aid specialist
Select and fit hearing aids for customers. Administer and interpret tests of hearing. Assess hearing instrument efficacy. Take ear impressions and prepare, design, and modify ear molds.
Median pay
$65,160
Growth to 2035
+19%
much faster than average
Openings a year
900
Time to qualify*
6 months
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Hearing aid specialist
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Exposure to disease
Hearing aid specialist: 54% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Train clients to use hearing aids or other augmentative communication devices.
- Counsel patients and families on communication strategies and the effects of hearing loss.
- Select and administer tests to evaluate hearing or related disabilities.
- Administer basic hearing tests including air conduction, bone conduction, or speech audiometry tests.
- Maintain or repair hearing aids or other communication devices.
- Perform basic screening procedures, such as pure tone screening, otoacoustic screening, immittance screening, and screening of ear canal status using otoscope.
- Create or modify impressions for earmolds and hearing aid shells.
- Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in audiology.
Also called: Audioprosthologist · Hearing Aid Consultant · Hearing Aid Specialist · Hearing Care Practitioner · Hearing Care Specialist · Hearing Instrument Dispenser · Hearing Instrument Specialist (HIS) · Hearing Specialist
Outlook and AI
Hearing aid specialists held 11,200 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 13,400 by 2035 (+19%, much faster than average; all jobs: +3.5%).
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