How do I become a Hearing Aid Practitioner?
If you are wondering about how to become a Hearing Aid Practitioner, here is a list of steps that will lead you toward embarking upon your new career.
In Alberta, Hearing Aid Practitioners (HAP’s) are required to have graduated from a 2 or 3 year diploma course in a recognized Hearing Aid Practitioner Course. If you are an Alberta resident, the closest educational facility to offer this course is through Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, AB. The Grant MacEwan website is located at www.gmcc.ab.ca. At the top of the homepage there is a tab called “programs.” Click on the programs tab and a list of programs will appear. Choose the link that takes you to the Hearing Aid Practitioner Program. From here you will find out what the requirements are to apply to the Hearing Aid Practitioner Program at Grant MacEwan College. It is a 2 year distance learning program which is widely recognized, and draws students from around the country. There are also programs offered in other provinces, such as George Brown College or Conestoga College located in Ontario.
Once enrolled in a program of study, you can apply for membership with the College of Hearing Aid Practitioners of Alberta. This College is not an educational institution but rather it is the Alberta Provincial regulatory body that governs the Hearing Aid Practitioner profession in the Province of Alberta. You may apply as a student member prior to graduation. After graduation, there will be exams administered by the College of Hearing Aid Practitioners of Alberta (CHAPA), that the graduate must pass before becoming certified as a Hearing Aid Practitioner. In the proposal stages, for implementation in 2008 is a mandatory internship program wherein a designated number of supervised internship hours must be completed prior to the taking of the CHAPA exams. Presently in Alberta, there is also a requirement that Hearing Aid Practitioners, once certified, take and pass an exam offered by the National Board for Certification in Hearing Instrument Sciences. The successful taking aid passing of this exam will provide the highest level of recognition in the Hearing Aid Practitioner profession in Alberta – the designation of Registered Hearing Aid Practitioner. Hearing Aid Practitioners are be expected to engage in ongoing educational training through seminars, symposiums, publications and other media in order to always ensure they are up to date on the latest information available regarding changes to the profession.
If you are currently a Hearing Aid Practitioner or Company working in another province and would like to know what the requirements are for membership in Alberta, please contact the Registrar of the College of Hearing Aid Practitioners of Alberta. There are Mutual Recognition Agreements between Alberta and some other provinces, that may recognize without further qualification, membership in Alberta, as a result of recognition of membership in another province.
Employment prospects for Hearing Aid Practitioners in Alberta are excellent. With a rapidly aging population there are always hearing aid clinics that are hiring. Many companies hire individuals prior to their graduation while they are still engaged in studies. Should you have any questions regarding how to become a Hearing Aid Practitioner please contact the Hearing Aid Practitioner Program at Grant MacEwan College, or the Registrar of the College of Hearing Aid Practitioners of Alberta