As part of Healthcare Science Week 2024 , Carolyn Fielden, Highly Specialist Paediatric Audiologist at Northern Care Alliance shares her insight into a career in Audiology. Northern Care Alliance is a member of the Greater Manchester Diagnostics Network.
What is your area of expertise?
All aspects of Paediatric Audiology: assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and management of different kinds of hearing loss in children from birth upwards.
How did you develop skills in this area?
I have attended a combination of formal training courses and in service training. I also complete ongoing CPD to keep up to date and to be able to develop the service further.
Why did you choose a career in your specialist area?
I enjoy working with people, especially children and always had a desire to ‘help and care for people’ although I did not want to become a nurse. I had initially looked at Radiography as I had never heard of Audiology. Then I saw an advertisement for a student Audiology post for which I applied. That was 35 years ago and I have never looked back. I have managed to train and work my way up from being a student audiologist to paediatric team leader.
What does a typical day involve?
My typical day involves starting work at 8.30am and triaging new referrals to determine whether they can be added to a routine waiting list or require an urgent appointment. I then decide whether they are developmentally ready to be tested in a standard clinic or if they have other developmental needs that requires them to be tested by more senior audiologists in a complex clinic.
After triaging patients my clinic will start. This will entail testing children developmentally under the age of 5 years and determining if they have a hearing loss by using a variety of hearing tests. Once results are obtained, I explain our findings to the parents and discuss next steps in their treatment plan.
After lunch I may have to test the hearing of children with hearing aids, adjusting the amplification of their aids and checking that the child can hear well with them. Alternatively, I may be testing newborn babies or carrying out administration duties or training.
What’s been your biggest inspiration?
My biggest inspiration is the children themselves. I am inspired by seeing them develop, gain speech, achieve at school and then enter the workforce. It is then lovely to see them return when they have their own children.
How have you grown in your profession?
I began as a student Audiologist in 1989 when I predominantly trained in adult audiology and attended university whilst training on the job.
Once I qualified, I began to develop my skills and specialise in the different aspects of Paediatric Audiology from birth upwards. This speciality enabled me to be upgraded to a senior audiologist and take on more responsibility.
Now I lead the Paediatric Team in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale. I am responsible for developing policies and standard operating procedures in line with National Guidance and for the implementation of these procedures. I am also a member of the Greater Manchester Auditory Brainstem Response peer review team ensuring excellent quality control within the area.
What has been your biggest achievement so far?
The department achieving UKAS accreditation and being recognised by NHS England as being one of the better quality departments in England.
What advice would you give to someone looking for a career in your specialist area?
I would definitely be an advocate for someone entering this career.
If they consider themselves hardworking, enjoy being busy and facing different challenges every day as well as the rewards of helping people to hear better and therefore improving their quality of life, it is the career for them. Every day is different and there is also a good work life balance.