Is it worth it...with a twist.

[Temonio]

This is my first ever post on the board, so please be kind if this is a repost.

Background:
I am currently serving on Active Duty in the Air Force. As my career winds down, I've caught the Audiology bug. I am finishing up my Undergrad in Communicative Disorders and Deaf Ed.

Here's my question
I'll have two (of the four) years of my AuD program paid for through my GI Bill (including books) and I won't need housing (as I am old and have a house). I will have my military retirement as well and while it's not a ton, my mortgage and utilities are all squared away. With these things in mind, is Audiology worth it? Will I put in the 4 years and struggle for work or will there be chances for employment for an old retiree (I'll be 43 by the time I graduate if I get in right after retirement). While I will have the financial advantages, I have the disadvantage of being 39 entering the program.

What say yee all?

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[BrianaGrace17]

I'm a young undergrad and probably don't know much...but from what I understand, age doesn't mean a thing! There seem to be plenty of jobs as long as you're willing to work as a clinical audiologist in any kind of setting. I'm looking more towards research and teaching jobs, and those seem to be more difficult to find. However, it seems like clinical opportunities are all over.

Hope this helps! Audiology is wonderful.

 

[2017AuD]

Which GI bill are you planning to use? CH 33 will pay for your tuition and fees, a book stipend (that doesn't cover ALL of it if you buy new physical books) and also a housing stipend. That being said, you would have the extra funds to attend private schools that would normal price people out. Northwestern looks like a great program and is completed in 3 years rather than 4. The 3rd year is at a discount so another financial advantage. I'm also a veteran but a little younger. You WILL be surrounded by 22 year old girls, just something to keep in mind if you are short on patience.

 

[TheEarDoc]

Well it depends on what you want to do in the field of audiology. If you want to work for the VA you would be a shoe in since you're a veteran (but you would be a shoe in for any field of employment in the VA being a veteran). You would probably start off as a GS 11 at the highest level and could even do your 4th year paid at a VA if you were lucky enough to get funding at a VA close to you. As a GS 12-1 audiologist you would make around 65-72k per year depending on locality. You would eventually top out around the lower to mid 90k range unless you moved up to a chief position.

So yes you could have a decent paying job with an audiology degree pretty easily as a veteran.

Then again you could just go to school 2 years and become an occupational therapist or speech therapist or RN and have more job opportunities outside of the VA system and use the VA system to further your education at no cost to you.

If I were you and audiology is not what you are dead set on then I would take the GI bill funding and get my RN or do a 3 year MSN accelerated program to get my BSN and nurse practitioner masters then go work for the VA. IF you went the RN route you'd start off making around 50k a year since you have a bachelors if you got into the VA system and the VA would pay for any continuing education if you wanted to get your masters and you'd make good money, IF you are dead set on audiology then yes you will incur about a year or so of tuition costs, but like I said you could probably get a well paying 4th year rotation at a local VA as a veteran and then work for the VA as an audiologist.

I might be a little biased (but I have worked in the university setting, the hospital setting, and done some work in the private practice setting) but I think the VA is the best place to work as an audiologist if you like doing strictly clinical work. I don't have to sell anything. I simply get to focus on counseling and diagnostics with veterans and I get paid a good salary compared to the private sector and have great benefits. I work a 4 day work week (four 10's) and have a 3 day weekend every week and on holidays I get a 4 day weekend. I love it!

 

[Temonio]

Thanks all that have replied.
I will be using my Post 9/11 GI Bill which includes the housing allowance. I have started talking to admissions folks at the University of Tennessee Knoxville in regards to seeing what I'll need to be competitive in trying to get accepted. Unlike some people that wished the career filed was more clinical, my fears aren't so much that I wont have the "prestige" of being a "real" Doc, they are more about supporting my family, doing something that keeps me as happy as one could be for having to atually work. Being an Audiologist, even with what some call "mundane" daily tasks, is a very important profession. There will always be a need for what they do (which is one of the reasons I got interested in it).

TheEarDoc,
You hit the nail on the head in terms of what I would like to do (for a few reasons). In an optimal setting, I would love to work for the VA. But like most GS positions, it is hit or miss as far as when they decide to do hiring. So, I am trying my hardest to plan things out as if this wasn't option. As a kid that grew up in the project housings of New York City, I could live very comfortably starting a career at $70K (when you add my retirement pay and a few VA dollars). The environment and the language of an Audiologist in the VA would feel like home for me.

I have not really given much thought to careers outside of Speech Path (but I am not certain if my personality would work well with Speech). I actually came across my Audiology goals by accident and until looking at some of the posts, I was pretty confident it was for me. However, earning potential is HUGE in my case as I have a family, so I am now trying to prepare myself for the "worst case scenario." Starting at a lower salary would not scare me off, but what i would hate to do is spend so much time working at something for it to not pay off in the longrun.

Thanks for all of the input...please keep it coming.

 

[GetOutofAuD]

Short answer to your original question: No.

It is not worth it. Apply the money and time you would spend to another endeavor.

To expand a little bit more. There is no scope of practice and there will not be any more of one in the future. The work is rote and requires little in the way of skill, certainly does not take four years to learn the very limited scope of the field. Most of the courses are just fluff. What little there is of substance is often useless clinically.

You would be better off spending a year prepping for a physicians assistant school and then becoming a PA. You would graduate sooner too.

I speak from experience. I am in a highly-rated program that I will be leaving at the end of the semester. I finally woke up and saw the giant gap between what you learn and what you practice. Then I realized I need to do something better, something bigger than perform hearing tests and sell hearing aids.

Take my comments with however big a grain a salt you want, but I caution you before committing. It took me two years to realize my mistake. Still, I am glad it didn't take me a moment longer.

 

[dg2b]

GetOutofAud, you do make a good point that audiology is not an ideal career path for everyone. It sounds like you are a 2nd year student (correct me if I'm wrong), which would mean that you have not likely had any (or many) off campus placements. What happens in a university clinic is very different than the wide variety of other clinical settings that an audiologist can work in.

The scope of practice for an audiologist is much broader than simply doing hearing tests and hearing aids. This may be the case at an ENT or private practice, but no audiologist is forced to work in those settings. Some graduates from my program only do intraoperative monitoring, educational audiology, or industrial/hearing conservation. Other audiologists have a heavy focus on pediatrics, electrophysiology, vestibular testing, or cochlear implants. Some of these audiologists never touch a hearing aid. If you are not interested in doing any of these things, than audiology is probably not for you.

Also, it depends on what you mean by "worth it." Most audiologists are not in it for the money. Salaries can be decent and more than enough to live comfortably (especially with a spouse/partner who makes a decent income also), but RNs with only a bachelor's degree can make as much or more than us. Most of us will be paying off student loans for years to come. The audiologists that I know who are satisfied with their career choice tend to be those who got into audiology due to a desire to help people hear better. Personally, nothing is more rewarding than witnessing a patient hearing for the first time as a new hearing aid or cochlear implant user. Just because I could have made a higher salary in another career path in less time (with much less in student loans!), doesn't mean that I would find that career as fulfilling as I have found audiology to be for me.

All in all, it really depends on what your career priorities are. If you are passionate about wanting to help others to hear better, go for it. If not, there are plenty of other opportunities out there.

Best of luck to both OP and PP in whatever career path you choose.

 

[GetOutofAuD]

You are wrong on your first point. I have completed three outside placements. I have lots of exposure to clinics outside of the university.

I don't disagree that it isn't broader but at the end of the day most audiologists just do hearing tests and sell hearing aids. Sure there is more out there but very few people practice in those areas. For the vast majority their job will simply be doing basic hearing tests and selling hearing aids.

By worth it I was not talking about money. (Although AuDs do get an embarrassing salary compared to other doctoring professions, but that is for another day.) I mean that for four years of schooling (the same amount it takes to become an MD) you get a very, very restricted scope of practice.

 

[RexdB]

Hi Temonio - I've been an audiologist for 25 yrs and have found it to be a very rewarding profession. I've never had a period of time where I was unemployed (knock on wood) or felt like I should be doing something else with my life. True - I don't think I could have stayed in the booth pressing buttons for the past 25 yrs - I've maximized opportunities and haven't been afraid to try new things. That has led to a diverse and well rounded career. People complain there's not enough money in audiology - I think I've always made enough to do what I wanted to do...travel, own homes, cars etc.. Like anything in life,,,,people only pay you as much as you value yourself. With the baby boomers on the horizon, I think audiology has much to offer and remains a promising field. Good luck with your decision.