I hate asking this but...

[27giraffes]

Okay, I've read enough about AuD and the future of Audiology, and I just hate to ask this...

But, do you believe that the future of Audiology is bright? So many people are dumping on the profession, and I've always been so intrigued by this profession it just hurts me to read it.
Do you believe that ENTs are just going to make this profession diminish? I don't think so, because ENTs have a lot more going on..

Then, do you believe that finding a job will be difficult?

Okay, sorry... Thanks for the answers, guys and gals!

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[TheEarDoc]

Okay, I've read enough about AuD and the future of Audiology, and I just hate to ask this...

But, do you believe that the future of Audiology is bright? So many people are dumping on the profession, and I've always been so intrigued by this profession it just hurts me to read it.
Do you believe that ENTs are just going to make this profession diminish? I don't think so, because ENTs have a lot more going on..

Then, do you believe that finding a job will be difficult?

Okay, sorry... Thanks for the answers, guys and gals!

Yes I think the future of audiology is bright. The salaries will continue to rise as the master's level audiologists leave the profession. Scope of practice will most likely eventually expand (though probably not in my professional lifetime). ENT's are not all the stereotypical "audiologists are techs I have to pay" and many I have worked with respect what we do and our expertise on hearing aids and implants. I've only come across a few who think of us as techs and they were all ENT's that also treated nurses and anyone who wasn't an MD like crap and were so old school it was not even funny. I think most of the younger ENT's realize what he have to offer and respect us as equals in the hearing healthcare arena.

Finding a job is not difficult in Audiology. Finding a job in a set geographical location especially if it is rural is hard, but that is the case for any healthcare job besides nursing and physician. You have to remember audiology is a specialty. We are a one to many provider. Meaning you can work at a large healthcare facility that sees thousands of patients a day and you and one other person might be the only audiologists on staff. It's just the nature of the beast. Just like you won't see an army of PT's, OT's, or SLP's either. Specialties always have a higher patient to provider ratio. If I didn't have a geographical restraint on where I wanted to work (I have a very strict one meaning one state and certain region) then I could quit my job today and have a new job by next week.

 

[Audiology Supplies]

I think it is not as bright as many people think... Just in the past few months with President Obama's PCAST commission recommending that the FDA allows Over-The-Counter hearing aids could change the industry dramatically. Most private practice audiology clinics make the majority of the money selling hearing aids and if people start purchasing OTC aids many could go out of business. Specially if the main hearing aid manufactures like Phonak, Oticon, Widex, Unitron, Starkey and Sivantos start making an over the counter aid and market it directly to consumer which cuts audiologist out of the picture. I do think the future of audiology will live on. But you may be working in a hospital, ENT clinic or at a VA. Just a few things to consider.

 

[TheEarDoc]

I think it is not as bright as many people think... Just in the past few months with President Obama's PCAST commission recommending that the FDA allows Over-The-Counter hearing aids could change the industry dramatically. Most private practice audiology clinics make the majority of the money selling hearing aids and if people start purchasing OTC aids many could go out of business. Specially if the main hearing aid manufactures like Phonak, Oticon, Widex, Unitron, Starkey and Sivantos start making an over the counter aid and market it directly to consumer which cuts audiologist out of the picture. I do think the future of audiology will live on. But you may be working in a hospital, ENT clinic or at a VA. Just a few things to consider.

This sky is falling idea comes about every couple of years in audiology.

First it was when buy in groups started - "oh they will price cut everyone and the big companies will jump on board and the private practices will go out of business" - Nope didn't happen
Then it was internet companies offering discounted instruments and you went to a local audiologist - same thing people found out yeah you can get the product cheaper but then had to pay through the nose to get someone to actually program it when it needed programmed or repaired when it needed repaired.
Next it was the big box stores selling hearing aids - Most people still prefer the hearing aid dealer down the street or the audiologist over the guy at Costco
Now it's the over the country personal amplification and hearing aid scare - Newsflash the instruments will still need follow-up and care and programming and private practices and audiologists will just adapt and they will charge more for their services rather than the product bundled with a service plan.

It's going to be hard to direct sell over the counter hearing aids considering they are governed by the FDA. In a time when I can't buy cough medicine without going through a pharmacy counter person, it's going to be highly unlikely that hearing aids will be OTC. Personal amplifiers that look like hearing aids? Yes. Hearing aids? Nope.

I see the cutting of hearing aids as the cash cow though a good thing because it will finally mean diagnostic reimbursement will have to go up. When my most common procedure codes of 92557 and 92567 yield less than $100 for 35-45 minutes of my time for a Medicare and Medicaid patient then there is a problem.