Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton

Adult assessment and rehabilitation

Part of an audiologist's role is to assess the hearing of adult patients. This uses a variety of tests, from techniques that involve looking into the ear through to complex analysis of brain function. Another part of the role is to collaborate with patients, their families and other professionals, to try to overcome some of the challenges of hearing problems and tinnitus by providing appropriate advice, technology (including hearing aids), rehabilitation, counselling and auditory training.

Paediatrics

There are approximately 100,000 children in the UK with permanent hearing loss, and many more have temporary forms of hearing loss that require audiological management. Audiologists test the hearing of children of all ages, from newborn babies to teenagers. They work with the child and his or her family to provide appropriate intervention, such as the use of hearing aids or cochlear implants. This usually involves collaboration with teachers of the deaf and with speech and language therapists. Audiologists are also involved in the development of national services, such as the hearing screening programme for newborn babies.

Balance disorders

Diseases that affect the ear can often affect balance, leading to vertigo, unsteadiness and severe incapacity. Audiologists carry out a range of balance tests and work alongside other professionals, such as physiotherapists, to provide balance retraining exercises.

Special needs groups

Audiologists work closely with a range of professionals to address the needs of groups with special requirements, such as children and adults with learning difficulties, blindness and other disabilities.

Research and development

Audiologists are involved in local and national audits and research projects aimed at developing our understanding of hearing and balance, and related disorders, as well as improving services and quality of life for patients.

Where do audiologists work?

The majority of audiologists work in healthcare services (including hospitals and community settings), with others working in universities and research centres. The NHS as well as companies employs many audiologists in the UK, where opportunities for career development are excellent, and some audiologists reach consultant level. There is a worldwide shortage of audiologists, and many that are trained in the UK spend at least some time working abroad in, for example, developing countries.

Careers opportunities

Career prospects for ISVR graduates are excellent, and demand is high. Most BSc graduates have pursued careers in NHS audiology services around the UK. Graduates have also progressed to further study, such as our MSc in Audiology , PhDs at the ISVR and at Oxford and Cambridge Universities, and fast-track degrees in medicine. A recent survey of our MSc graduates showed that the vast majority have successfully secured appropriate training posts or jobs in audiology. Since 1972, ISVR graduates have gone on to make some of the most important and innovative contributions to audiology and health care, both nationally and internationally.

We have one of the largest anechoic chambers four auditory and acoustic research in the UK

Anechoic chamber

We are a leading centre performing high impact audiological research in order to improve the quality of life of the hearing impaired. We run an audiological clinic for advanced paediatric and adult hearing and balance assessment and we run the South of England Cochlear Implant Centre (SOECIC). The HABC provides the closest proximity of audiological clinics with an audiological research institute within any University in the UK. Our research is funded by a wide range of sources (e.g. EU, EPSRC, BSA, DSTL, MoD, NHS, ONR, Google, Cochlea) and our efforts were recognised with a Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2005. Highlights of our work in recent years include:

• Research at the HABC into bilateral cochlear implantation has directly led to policy change in the UK and abroad by citation in the NICE Guidelines and conduction of the National Audit. More than 550 patients have been implanted nationally since the first bilateral implantation in the UK was performed in the HABC in 2009. Our clinical assessment questionnaires have become a standard method in both research and clinical service and have been translated into 13 languages. The two key papers by HABC researchers on Categories of Auditory Performance received more than 180 citations.
• Research performed at the HABC contributed directly to the implementation of new-born hearing screening programmes (NHSP) in the UK and abroad. Permanent childhood hearing impairment affects more than 1 in 1000 babies, typically adversely affecting the child's neuronal development, language acquisition, and educational outcomes. Its early identification allows for provision of educational support, thereby greatly reducing these effects. Work performed by HABC researchers was essential for implementation. Since implementation, the NHSP has allowed early detection of hearing impairment in over 10,000 babies in the UK. This has led directly to reductions in the age of clinical intervention, with consequent benefits for language development as well as economic savings.
• Researchers at HABC have developed and evaluated the digit triplet telephone test that is an important tool for ‘Action on Hearing Loss' to educate and inform people about hearing loss. It has been taken more than 500,000 times to date in the UK and is currently adapted in HABC to be used in China and in other countries. 

Our ambition is to improve the quality of life for people with hearing and/or balance problems through world-class research. To realise our ambition, we are committed to: 

• High-impact research that contributes new and important understanding of hearing and hearing impairment, and relationships with communication and culture, and of the vestibular system, and relationships with balance, co-ordination and vision
• Develop and evaluate solutions to the challenges faced by people with hearing and balance problems, such as signal processing techniques in hearing aids and cochlear implants
• Translate the results of our research into applications that benefit society, such as by influencing clinical practice and healthcare service provision and through internationally recognised audiology teaching programmes
• A work ethic and environment that is creative, collaborative, outward-looking and flexible. 

Our three key research areas are:           

Hearing

Hearing is an intimate sense that allows us to communicate and orient. Hearing is important in the development of language, learning and behaviour. The loss of hearing is a catastrophic event in many people's lives. Research in the HABC strives to understand human hearing better and - crucially - find out where and how it can go wrong. This research will allow us to suggest better therapies for hearing loss in future.

Hearing prostheses

Hearing aids and cochlear implants are incredible important devices for millions of people in the UK. Current technology is good, but not sufficient in many situations. Research in the HABC strives to create new signal processing technology in order to generate the next generation of hearing prosthesis to help more people hear better. Our developments will help hearing impaired people to communicate better in noisy and difficult situations.

Balance

The balance and hearing systems are closely related and pathology of one often affects the other. Research in the HABC strives to understand the pathology of the balance organ better and to develop suitable treatments for dizziness.

Testing hearing

Practical session in the clinic

Our comprehensive and stimulating degree programmes prepares students for a career in audiology, at undergrad and at postgraduate level. We aim to provide high-quality learning opportunities that helps to develop transferable scientific, problem-solving and interpersonal abilities, as well as providing key skills required for professional registration.

We are extremely proud of our graduates, who go on to make important contributions to audiology at local, national and international levels, and to science and health care in general.

Whatever the interests, weather clinical, educational or research-based, our programmes provide a solid foundation for a fulfilling and successful career.

Our programmes are led by world- renowned experts working at the cutting edge of research.

Our aim is to inspire you to become one of the innovators and leaders of the future in a dynamic and exciting field.

Several members of the team have received Vice Chancellor's Teaching Awards. This reflects our commitment to provide innovative and diverse learning opportunities, integrated with clinical experience. For example, problem-based and discovery learning approaches will enable you to develop independent learning, critical thinking and collaborative working skills. These skills, together with a clear sense of the bigger picture, will give you an edge in the job market.

The ISVR is an enthusiastic and supportive community. Most of the teaching on all audiology programmes takes place within one building (the ‘hub'), which also houses most staff, the audiology centre and our skills laboratory. We have approximately 120 audiology students and around 100 PhD students from diverse backgrounds and from around the world.

Undergraduate programmes:

BSc Healthcare Science (Audiology)

Postgraduate Taught:

MSc Audiology

MRes Clinical Research (with Health Sciences)

Postgraduate Research:

PhD

Doctorate in Clinical Practice (with Health Sciences)

Professional development:

Master's level modules in audiology and biomedical signal processing (including diagnostic strategy, paediatrics, tinnitus, cochlear implant processing, signal processing techniques for diagnostics)