In the most general of terms, a hearing instrument specialist works with individuals with hearing loss and specializes in hearing aids for individuals with hearing loss. But what does this really mean? How does a hearing instrument specialist help a person with their hearing? How do they dispense hearing aids? How do they do it all?

Training for hearing instrument specialists

A hearing instrument specialist or HIS is a trained and certified member of the hearing health professional team. An HIS will first get to know you and your lifestyle. Get to know and understand your hearing health needs and concerns. Once they have an idea of your needs and concerns the HIS will test your hearing. They will perform a series of tests to test your hearing in different environments and ways to know what is really going on when it comes to your hearing. After the hearing testing is complete the HIS will sit down with you and discuss your test results. They will discuss with you in depth their findings and their recommendations with you. They may recommend that you see another member of the hearing health professional team such as an audiologist or ENT and they will explain why they feel you should see this specialist and will also send off a referral for you. They may recommend that you should purchase and wear hearing aids to help with your hearing needs or they may recommend nothing because your hearing is just fine.

Selling hearing aids

An HIS dispenses or sells hearing aids. This is one of the main reasons someone will go to see an HIS because they feel they have a hearing loss and would like to have help to hear better. An HIS is a specialist when it comes to hearing aids. There are many companies and each company has a handful of different types of hearing aids and they all have a different take on how to give the sound that is desired to a person. An HIS knows and understands each company’s hearing aids and their “quirks” that makes their hearing aids different from the rest. An HIS will be able to pick out the right hearing aid for you, your specific type of hearing loss as well as your lifestyle. They will program and fit the hearing aid to your ear and your hearing loss. Regular check-ins are a must when it comes to your hearing aids and its health.

Hearing instrument specialists and hearing rehabilitation

An HIS also counsels and rehabilitates individuals back into society. Gradual hearing loss needs this counselling and rehabilitation because new hearing aids and the sounds that now come with them are sudden and it can be quite overwhelming for a person. An HIS will teach individuals and their families how to get back out there; how to embrace the new sounding world, but also how to take it slow and take it day by day.