Comparison of Domestic and Foreign Audiologist Education Status and Qualification System

Abstract

Audiologists are experts in providing specialized treatment for evaluating and managing hearing loss through hearing technology. The purpose of this study is to review the education status of major foreign countries regarding the training of audiologists, their certification management systems, and the audiology education regulations according to international standards; this study compares these with the domestic (i.e., Republic of Korea) education status, certification management system, and audiology education regulations. The regulations, reports, and official documents related to domestic and overseas regarding audiology systems were reviewed and compared. The domestic audiologist education and qualification system is in fair conformity with foreign countries and international standards, but there are areas that need to be improved. If the domestic audiologist qualification system is improved to comply with advanced foreign national audiologist qualification systems and international standards, it will be possible to cultivate a more professional domestic audiologist workforce.