Free Audiologist Job Description Templates
Free audiologist job description templates for private, ENT, pediatric, school, and clinical settings. With licensing, HIPAA, and FLSA guidance.
Audiologist Job Description Templates
5 free templates for practices and clinics, with licensing and FLSA guidance. Download as DOCX.
Hiring an audiologist comes with a wrinkle most job description templates ignore: the credentials are genuinely confusing. A state license is mandatory, ASHA CCC-A certification is a separate voluntary credential, and selling hearing aids can require yet another dispensing license depending on the state. Get those right in the posting and at hire, and the rest is a fairly standard healthcare job description.
At FirstHR, we build templates for the small medical practices that make this hire, often an independent hearing clinic or an ENT practice without an HR department. The five templates below cover the audiologist by setting: private practice, ENT clinic, pediatric, educational, and clinical, each handling the licensing and FLSA pieces honestly, and the guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals.
What Is an Audiologist?
An audiologist diagnoses, manages, and treats hearing, balance, and related disorders. The core work is performing diagnostic hearing and balance evaluations, fitting and programming hearing aids, and counseling patients and families, along with newborn screening, cochlear implant support, aural rehabilitation, and EHR documentation. An audiologist holds a doctoral degree, the Doctor of Audiology (AuD), and is licensed in their state.
For the employer writing the posting, two things matter up front. First, the setting shapes the role: a private-practice audiologist leans on hearing aid dispensing and patient relationships, a pediatric audiologist focuses on children, an educational audiologist supports students, and a hospital audiologist handles complex diagnostics. That is why the templates below differ by setting. Second, an audiologist is not the same as a hearing instrument specialist, who only fits hearing aids for adults; confusing the two leads to a mismatched hire, so the next sections make the distinction clear.
Audiologist Duties and Responsibilities
Audiologist duties group into diagnostics and testing, hearing technology, counseling and care, and records and compliance. The setting shifts the weights, dispensing-heavy in private practice versus complex diagnostics in a hospital, but the categories hold.
A strong posting grounds these in your practice: the patient mix, the equipment, your dispensing model, your EHR, and your referral relationships. Audiologists read postings for autonomy, patient population, and equipment before applying. For a structured way to scope the role before posting, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Audiologist vs Hearing Instrument Specialist
These two roles get confused constantly, and hiring the wrong one is an expensive mismatch. Here is how they differ.
| Audiologist | Hearing Instrument Specialist | |
|---|---|---|
| Education | Doctoral degree (AuD) | Shorter training / certificate |
| Scope | Diagnose and treat all ages | Fit hearing aids for adults |
| Diagnostics | Full hearing and balance testing | Basic adult hearing testing |
| Hire when | You need full clinical care | You need adult hearing aid fitting |
An audiologist is a doctoral-level clinician who diagnoses and treats hearing and balance disorders across all ages, while a hearing instrument specialist focuses narrowly on fitting hearing aids for adults and is usually a separate, lower-cost hire. If your practice needs full diagnostic and treatment capability, you want an audiologist. If the need is solely adult hearing aid dispensing, a hearing instrument specialist may be the right and more economical fit. Name the one your practice actually needs in the posting.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by your setting. The clinical core runs through all five, but the setting changes the patient mix, the emphasis, and some of the requirements. Use this guide to choose.
5 Free Audiologist Job Description Templates
Download all five as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: practice and role overview, key responsibilities, qualifications with the credential requirements, the FLSA status, compensation, and how to apply, with the specifics left as fields. Fill in the brackets and post.
Template 1: Private Practice / Hearing Clinic Audiologist
For an independent hearing clinic or audiology practice: full-scope diagnostics, hearing aid dispensing, and real autonomy. The owner-without-HR version, and the most common small-practice case.
Template 2: ENT Clinic Audiologist
For an ENT or otolaryngology practice adding an audiologist to handle hearing and balance diagnostics and hearing aids, freeing physicians for medical and surgical care.
Template 3: Pediatric Audiologist
For pediatric hearing care: newborn screening follow-up, age-appropriate testing, pediatric device fitting, and cochlear implant support, with heavy family communication.
Template 4: Educational / School Audiologist
For a school district supporting students with hearing needs: classroom amplification, IEP support, and staff training. Often school-year, with travel between sites.
Template 5: Clinical / Hospital Audiologist
For a hospital or larger clinic: complex diagnostics, vestibular and electrophysiologic testing, and multidisciplinary care. The larger-setting version.
Audiologist Licensing and Compliance
This is the part worth getting exactly right, because three different credentials are easy to confuse and the practice owner is usually the one verifying them. Here is what to require, what to prefer, and what to check at hire.
The simplest rule: the state license and AuD are mandatory, CCC-A is a widely held voluntary certification you can require or prefer, and a separate hearing aid dispensing license may apply in your state if the role sells hearing aids. The ASHA certification standards describe CCC-A as a national credential that goes beyond the minimum for state licensure, and because an audiology practice is a covered entity, new hires also need HIPAA training and a signed acknowledgment. State requirements vary, so confirm yours. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is an Audiologist Exempt from Overtime?
An audiologist is almost always exempt from overtime, but it is worth confirming rather than assuming. The reason the answer is usually yes: an audiologist holds a doctoral AuD and does work requiring advanced specialized knowledge, which is the heart of the learned professional exemption.
The learned professional exemption applies when an employee's primary duty requires advanced knowledge in a field of science or learning, customarily acquired through a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction, and the person is paid a salary at or above the federal threshold. An audiologist's doctoral degree and clinical work fit that squarely, so full-time salaried audiologists generally qualify as exempt and are paid a salary rather than overtime. The caveats: the exemption turns on the actual duties and a genuine salary basis, so part-time, hourly, or hybrid arrangements deserve a closer look, and audiology assistants and support staff are a separate question, often non-exempt. Some states are stricter than the federal floor, so confirm rather than assume. This is general information, not legal advice.
Audiologist Pay
Audiologist pay is strong and varies by setting, region, and experience, so benchmark against comparable practices.
Place your role within that range: hospitals tend to pay at the higher end, while offices of physicians and therapists sit closer to the median. In private practice, market data shows total compensation often adds production or dispensing incentives on top of base, and practice owners can earn well above the employee median. Part-time and school-year roles are priced accordingly. Benchmark against your setting and area, factor in any dispensing-based incentives, and disclose a range where your state requires it. The templates leave compensation as a field so you can set it for your market.
Audiologist Skills and Qualifications
Audiologist qualifications combine the required credentials with clinical and patient-care skills, so name them concretely rather than leaning on vague traits.
| Weak requirement | Strong requirement |
|---|---|
| Has a degree | Doctor of Audiology (AuD) from a CAA-accredited program |
| Licensed | Active state audiology license (required in all states) |
| Certified | ASHA CCC-A or ABA certification (state which you require) |
| Knows equipment | Skilled with audiometric and hearing aid systems |
| Good with people | Strong patient and family counseling skills |
The core is a credentialed clinician, the AuD plus the mandatory license, with genuine command of diagnostics, hearing technology, and patient counseling. Name the required and preferred credentials precisely, and keep each line job-related, the SHRM job description tools describe a good job description as a plain-language summary of a position's tasks, duties, and responsibilities. Keep the posting neutral, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on protected characteristics.
How to Write an Audiologist Job Description
A strong audiologist posting takes about 20 minutes and does two jobs: it gives a candidate the setting, patient mix, and pay they screen on, and it gets the credentials and classification right so you hire defensibly. Here is the process the templates are built around. If this is among your first hires, the small business hiring guide covers the steps around the posting itself.
Hiring an Audiologist for a Small Practice
A hospital hires audiologists through an HR department that verifies credentials and handles compliance. A small independent practice, the kind where most audiologists actually work, has the owner-audiologist or a practice manager doing all of that personally. The same licensing, classification, and HIPAA rules apply anyway. Here is how to approach the posting and the hire for that reality.
After You Hire: Onboarding an Audiologist
The job description is step one, and an audiologist hire is credential-heavy, so the onboarding starts with verification. Confirm the mandatory state license and AuD, plus CCC-A and any dispensing license if applicable, then send the offer and get it signed, and complete Form I-9 and the rest of the new hire paperwork and tax forms, along with HIPAA training and a signed acknowledgment.
Then orient the audiologist to your practice: your patient mix, dispensing process, referral relationships, EHR, and equipment, plus NPI and Medicare setup for billing, the kind of structured start that good onboarding is built on. For a small practice without an HR department, a repeatable process keeps credential checks and HIPAA from slipping, and once your offer is ready the offer letter template handles the core terms. FirstHR connects the offer and HIPAA acknowledgment with e-signature, runs the onboarding workflow, and stores licenses and certifications in document management, built for practices without an HR team. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an audiologist do?
An audiologist diagnoses, manages, and treats hearing, balance, and related disorders. The core work is performing diagnostic hearing and balance evaluations, interpreting the results, and fitting, programming, and servicing hearing aids and other devices, along with counseling patients and families. Audiologists also handle newborn and pediatric hearing screening, support cochlear implants, provide aural rehabilitation, document care in the EHR, and coordinate with ENT physicians and other providers. The setting shapes the emphasis: a private-practice audiologist leans heavily on hearing aid dispensing and patient relationships, a pediatric audiologist focuses on infants and children, an educational audiologist supports students in schools, and a hospital audiologist handles more complex diagnostics. An audiologist holds a doctoral degree (AuD) and is a licensed healthcare professional, distinct from a hearing instrument specialist who only fits hearing aids.
What is the difference between an audiologist and a hearing instrument specialist?
An audiologist is a doctoral-level healthcare professional who diagnoses and treats hearing and balance disorders, while a hearing instrument specialist (HIS), also called a hearing aid dispenser, is a state-licensed professional trained specifically to test for common hearing loss in adults and fit hearing aids. The key differences are scope and training. An audiologist holds a Doctor of Audiology degree, can perform full diagnostic and balance testing, works with patients of all ages including infants, and treats a wide range of disorders. A hearing instrument specialist typically completes a shorter training path and focuses narrowly on fitting hearing aids for adults, without diagnosing or treating medical conditions. For a practice that needs full diagnostic and treatment capability, you want an audiologist. For a role focused solely on adult hearing aid dispensing, a hearing instrument specialist may fit, and is usually a separate, lower-cost hire. Name the one your practice actually needs.
What licenses and certifications does an audiologist need?
A state audiology license is mandatory in every state, and it is the first credential to verify. On top of the license, the standard entry degree is the Doctor of Audiology (AuD) from a CAA-accredited program. Beyond those, ASHA CCC-A certification, the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology, is a voluntary national credential that most audiologists hold and many employers expect, though it is separate from the license; the American Board of Audiology offers an alternative certification. Importantly, some states require a separate hearing aid dispensing license to sell hearing aids, even for a fully licensed audiologist, so check your state if the role involves dispensing. For billing, an audiologist generally needs a National Provider Identifier and Medicare enrollment for covered diagnostics. The practical move is to list the license and degree as required, state whether you require or prefer CCC-A, and verify each credential at hire.
Is an audiologist exempt or non-exempt from overtime?
An audiologist is almost always exempt from overtime as a learned professional. The role requires advanced knowledge in a field of science or learning, customarily acquired through a prolonged course of specialized study, in this case the doctoral AuD degree, which is the core of the learned professional exemption. Combined with a salary at or above the federal threshold, that means the position generally qualifies as exempt and is paid a salary rather than overtime. That said, the exemption depends on the actual duties and salary rather than the title, so confirm it rather than assuming, particularly for part-time, hourly, or hybrid arrangements where the salary basis may not be met. Audiology assistants and support staff are a separate question and are frequently non-exempt and overtime-eligible. This is general information, not legal advice; classification is fact-specific, so confirm for your situation.
How much does an audiologist make?
Audiologist pay is strong and varies by setting, region, and experience. The federal benchmark is a median annual wage of $92,120 in May 2024, with the lowest 10 percent under $61,930 and the highest 10 percent over $129,830. Pay differs by setting: hospitals tend to pay at the higher end, while offices of physicians and therapists sit closer to the median. In private practice, total compensation often includes production or hearing aid dispensing incentives on top of base salary, and practice owners can earn well above the employee median. Part-time and school-year roles are priced accordingly. Benchmark against comparable practices and settings in your area, factor in any dispensing-based incentive structure, and disclose a range in the posting where your state requires it. The templates leave compensation as a field so you can set it for your market.
What should an audiologist job description include?
A strong audiologist job description includes a practice and role overview, the clinical duties, the credential requirements, the FLSA status, and the compensation. List the real duties: diagnostic hearing and balance testing, hearing aid fitting and programming, patient counseling, and EHR documentation, adjusted for the setting. State the required credentials clearly: the AuD and the mandatory state license, plus whether you require or prefer ASHA CCC-A, and note any hearing aid dispensing license if the role involves dispensing. Handle the FLSA status, since audiologists are typically exempt learned professionals. Describe your practice and patient mix, because audiologists choose roles based on autonomy, equipment, and patient population. Match the template to the setting, since private practice, ENT, pediatric, educational, and clinical roles differ. Keep the language neutral and job-related.
Do small practices hire audiologists?
Yes, and small practices are actually where most audiologists work. Audiology practices are small by nature, with the average practice running just a few people, and roughly a third of audiologists work in private practice. Common small-practice employers include independent hearing clinics, standalone audiology offices, and ENT practices adding an audiologist to handle hearing and balance care. The typical hiring trigger is an ENT physician wanting to hand off hearing diagnostics and hearing aid dispensing to a specialist, a growing patient load, or the launch or expansion of a hearing aid dispensing service. This makes the audiologist hire a classic first-professional-hire moment for a small medical business without a dedicated HR department, which is exactly the private-practice template on this page. The role is niche and hiring volume is modest, but small independent practices are the heart of the field.
What happens after I hire an audiologist?
Verify the credentials, complete the paperwork, and onboard with compliance and equipment in mind. Start by verifying the mandatory state license and the AuD, plus CCC-A and any hearing aid dispensing license if applicable, then send the offer and get it signed. Complete Form I-9 and tax forms, and handle HIPAA training and a signed acknowledgment, since an audiology practice is a covered entity. Set up the practical pieces: NPI and Medicare enrollment for billing, EHR access, and orientation to your audiometric and dispensing equipment. Then orient the audiologist to your practice: your patient mix, your dispensing process, your referral relationships, and your documentation standards. For a small practice without an HR department, a repeatable onboarding process keeps credential checks and HIPAA compliance from slipping. FirstHR handles the offer and HIPAA acknowledgment with e-signature, runs the onboarding workflow, and stores licenses and certifications in document management. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.