How to become a Hearing Aid Specialist

Official title: Hearing Aid Specialists

Also called: Audioprosthologist, Hearing Aid Consultant, Hearing Aid Specialist, Hearing Care Practitioner, Hearing Care Specialist, Hearing Instrument Dispenser, Hearing Instrument Specialist (HIS), Hearing Specialist, Licensed Hearing Instrument Specialist (Licensed HIS), National Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist (National Board Certified HIS)

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.

Main 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.

How to become one

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Hearing Aid Specialist.
• Licence: A licence is required in 44 states.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $65,160 a year The middle half earn $48,390 to $80,010.
• About 11,200 people work in this job now, and about 13,400 are projected by 2035. (+19.4%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Related jobs

• Neurodiagnostic Technologists
• Orthotists and Prosthetists
• Ophthalmic Medical Technologists
• Patient Representatives

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Hearing Aid Specialist?

Ways in include: Hearing Aid Specialist.

How much does a Hearing Aid Specialist earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $65,160 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $48,390 to $80,010.

Is a Hearing Aid Specialist a growing career in the US?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 19% by 2035, from about 11,200 to about 13,400 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Hearing Aid Specialist?

Not always. 31% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Hearing Aid Specialist.

Will AI change the work of a Hearing Aid Specialist?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.