23 January 2019

Considering the estimated prevalence of hearing loss that affected 3.6 million people in 2017 and expected to be more than 7.8 million by 2060, Simone Hutchinson has embarked on securing a career in the audiometry industry by studying online with TAFE NSW.

According to Australia’s largest education provider, TAFE NSW, demand for Healthcare services is on the rise, driven by the national growing and ageing population. Healthcare is the biggest employing industry in NSW, with a workforce of over 503,500 people with employment in this sector forecast to increase by 9.7% through to 2020.

Mrs Hutchinson, who is near to completing a Diploma of Audiometry with TAFE Digital said, “I wanted a change in career where I could directly help people and make a real difference in improving their lives, so I decided to pursue a career in audiometry.

A friend of Mrs Hutchinson who is the Senior Audiologist and Corporate Administrator for ACAud encouraged her to pursue studying audiometry online through TAFE Digital. “The advantage of completing an online course has been immense while working and taking care of my three children.

“I have embraced the ability to access resource materials as well as submit assessments at times convenient to me – often in the evenings or over the weekend. A highlight of the user-friendly software is a dashboard demonstrating progress made within each unit until completion.”

“For some people, not being able to hear well often leads to withdrawal, isolation and frustration for family members,” said Mrs Hutchinson. “Suffering in silence can often easily be rectified with the assistance of hearing devices. And with provision of the appropriate hearing device, people with hearing loss can reconnect with their friends and family, minimising withdrawal and isolation, which in turn improves numerous social outcomes.”

For Mrs Hutchinson the opportunity to work whilst studying is enormous. “The practical component of learning is invaluable, as it very much reinforces and supports the theory behind audiometry,” she said. “For example while theoretically learning about a task such as otoscopy to look inside a client’s ear canal, performing the task on an actual client is vital to embedding learning and understanding.”

Mrs Hutchinson and her husband go to third world countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines with a group of Audiologists every couple of years where they are able to help numerous adults and children with varying degrees of hearing loss.

Media Contact: Bonny Gunn, TAFE Digital Media Business Partner. Mobile 0417 134 048.