Explore unit group

Version:
NOC 2006 Version 1.0

3141 – Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists

Audiologists and speech-language pathologists diagnose, evaluate and treat human communication disorders including hearing, speech, language and voice disorders. Audiologists and speech-language pathologists are employed in hospitals, community and public health centres, extended care facilities, day clinics, rehabilitation centres and educational institutions, or may work in private practice.

Profile

Index of titles Example job titles

  • Amplification audiologist
  • Audiologist
  • Audiologist, research
  • Audiology clinician
  • Audiology specialist
  • Certified audiologist
  • Certified hearing aid audiologist
  • Clinical audiologist
  • Community audiologist
  • Community speech-language pathologist
  • Diagnostic audiologist
  • Dispensing audiologist
  • Educational audiologist
  • Educational speech-language pathologist
  • Industrial audiologist
  • Logopedist
  • Pathologist, speech
  • Pathologist, speech-language
  • Pediatric audiologist
  • Research audiologist
  • Specialist, audiology
  • Speech and hearing therapist
  • Speech pathologist
  • Speech therapist
  • Speech-language clinician
  • Speech-language pathologist
  • Speech-language pathologist clinician
  • Speech-language pathologist researcher
  • Therapist, speech
  • Therapist, speech and hearing
  • Audiologist
  • Certified audiologist
  • Clinical audiologist
  • Educational audiologist
  • Research audiologist
  • Speech therapist
  • Speech-language clinician
  • Speech-language pathologist

Main duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

  • Audiologists perform some or all of the following duties:
    • Administer audiometric tests and examinations to diagnose and evaluate the degree and type of patients' hearing impairment
    • Plan and implement habilitation/rehabilitation programs for patients, including selection, fitting and adjustment of hearing aid devices, teaching speech (lip) reading and providing counselling
    • Establish personalized care plans working as a member of an interdisciplinary team
    • Conduct research related to hearing
    • May instruct students and other health care personnel.
  • Speech-language pathologists perform some or all of the following duties:
    • Administer tests and examinations and observe patients to diagnose and evaluate speech, voice, resonance, language, cognitive-linguistic and swallowing disorders
    • Plan and implement remedial programs to correct speech, language and voice disorders
    • Establish group and personalized care plans working as a member of an interdisciplinary team
    • Conduct research on speech and other communication disorders and on the development and design of diagnostic procedures and devices
    • May instruct students and other health care personnel.

Employment requirements

  • Audiologists require a master's degree in audiology.
  • Speech-language pathologists require a master's degree in speech-language pathology.
  • Registration with a regulatory body is required for audiologists and speech-language pathologists in New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
  • Membership in the national association, Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists, may be required.
  • In some jurisdictions, audiologists may be required to obtain a separate licence to dispense hearing aids.

Additional information

  • Progression into management positions, such as chief audiologist or director of speech-language pathology, is possible with experience.

Exclusions

Breakdown summary

Broad occupational category
3 – Health Occupations
Skill level
A – Occupations usually require university education.
Major group
31 – Professional Occupations in Health
Minor group
314 – Therapy and Assessment Professionals
Version
NOC 2006 Version 1.0