What it is like to be a Hearing Aid Technician

Posted by HearingAids on December 2, 2010 under Hearing Aids, Hearing Loss, Product Reviews | Be the First to Comment

I’m a fairly new Hearing aid technician, so sitting with patients and discussing their recently acquired hearing aids is a rewarding, fun, and a challenging experience for me.  I would like to think that the challenge is less for me than for most hearing professionals because I also wear the product; or at least a similar product to what each patient is wearing when they come into my office for instructions on how to use their new hearing aids.

I start the conversation by asking them if they are new wearers or experienced; this is important because I want to find out how much they know about hearing aids.  I want to make sure that I can help them become satisfied hearing aid wearers. Typically the beginning point is to discuss and practice inserting and removing their hearing aids so they build a comfort level for taking them in and out.

Once we have accomplished this, we then move into how to use hearing aids; changing their programs and hearing aid settings.  This is where the fun begins!  I get to find out the different types of activities and events my patients partake in, and how much they feel they have been missing prior to their hearing aid purchase.  Then I compare my experiences in similar situations and throw in a few antidotes to lighten up the tension in the room.  I understand that someone wearing hearing aids for the first time may feel uncomfortable about not knowing what to expect or how to manipulate them in front of someone they don’t know.

I also understand that even an experienced wearer can be uncomfortable because they have been in their comfort zone with their existing hearing aids and now, with new technology, they are learning about a whole new product – in most cases, with many more features.  So if I can tell some funny things that happened to me in the beginning and then give them some wonderful experiences with my newer hearing aid, it lightens the mood in the room and makes it much more comfortable for them to express their feelings to me.

By the way, if you’re wondering, I went from wearing Phonak hearing aids from 2006-2010, to now wearing the Siemens Pure 500 in the right ear.  I am profoundly deaf in my left ear (no hearing aids would help me) and a slight hearing loss in my right ear. The Pure is a wonderful device and allows me to hear a lot more then I ever heard with my other product.

New hearing aid technology is amazing and being given the ability to share that with our patients is the most rewarding thing I’ve done in my career.

- Beth Johnson