Potential audiologist questions.

[TheBritishGuy]

First i'd like to introduce myself. I am currently a 17 year old male residing and born in the UK who hopefully will be gaining a usa/uk dual nationality citizenship status in a few months.

I hope to become an audiologist in the future and would like to study this at a british university. However in the long term future i would like to live in the states for a while as i've heard nice things about the country.

However, i was looking into whether or not i could carry my (hopefull) profession across the pond and be allowed to practice audiology in the US.

The reason i ask this and i am still unclear on the system is that from what i can gather:

To work as an audiologist in the USA you must have an Au.D in audiology. Thats a doctoral profession right.

Well in the UK the courses are relatively new and i could get the following:

Bsc in Audiology
Msc in Audiology
maybe a Phd (but i don't plan on studying for this long)

All paid for by the NHS.

However theres no Au.D in audiology yet from what i understand so my overall question is,

What is the UK equivalent of an American Au.D in audiology?
Is there one?
If i was to do my 4/5 year course with a year practical experience and maybe a few years working for the british national health service would i be qualified enough to enter the profession in the US?

Any information on this will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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[EarDoc6]

The requirements in the U.S. are rather stringent and I think it would be very hard for you to get your degree in the U.K. and practice in the U.S. If your ultimate plan is to reside in the U.S. and practice audiology then your best bet would be to get your degree here. A doctorate is now the basic clinical degree here and the master's is no longer sufficient.

What you can look into is Nova Southeastern University's Program. The Audiology Department offers the Doctor of Audiology program where classes held in the United Kingdom. All courses are in London.

http://www.nova.edu/aud/postmastdoc/

This would probably be your best bet. Good luck.

 

[chicoborja]

I don't know that I entirely agree with the previous post. Some states are transitioning from a masters to a doctorate as the required degree for entry into the profession; however, the majority of states have not done this yet. If you get a masters in the UK and complete the equivalent to a CFY, you may be able to obtain a license in some states. I believe the professional organizations for audiology in English speaking countries (US, Canada, UK, and Australia) may have some reciprocation in terms of clinical certifications which would aid in getting licensed I would check with state boards in the US as well as BSA/BAA and ASHA for further advice.

 

[still442]

To answer your questions:

What is the UK equivalent of an American Au.D in audiology? There is none.

Is there one? No.

If i was to do my 4/5 year course with a year practical experience and maybe a few years working for the british national health service would i be qualified enough to enter the profession in the US? No.

There is a British student in my AuD program. She already has her Msc and practiced for several years. She still has to go through the AuD program here in order to get a license.

 

[chicoborja]

As I previously mentioned, this answer is not cut and dry. Although this situation may be true for the particular state your friend is in, there are different licensure laws in every state. For example, Oklahoma requires a doctorate whereas Kansas only requires the equivalent to a masters degree. I have my audiology license with only a bachelors but my coursework is equivalent to an AuD.

Bottom line....licensure laws are state-dependent

 

[EarDoc6]

Yes, you are correct chicoborja. However, he was not asking about the requirements from state to state as opposed to country to country. The Master's degree from the UK is not equivalent to the Master's degree from the U.S. I suggested that the most practical route for him may be to look into Nova's program given that he would be able to go to a University in the U.K. and obtain a professional Doctor of Audiology degree with intentions of moving to practice in the U.S. The end result, ultimately, would be exactly what he desired.

 

[elcobb]

I have my audiology license with only a bachelors but my coursework is equivalent to an AuD.

Yeesh. Can I move to your state?

 

[dweinstein]

You would need a doctorate to obtain a license in the U.S. since ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) is now requiring all new audiologists to have a doctorate for certification (as of 2012 I believe). Since most states require audiologists to have graduated from an ASHA-accredited program, the Au.D. has become the standard program offered at universities. Those audiologists who are currently practicing without a doctorate are grandfathered in, but I assume if they wanted to obtain a license in another state after 2012 they might run into some difficulty.