Hearing Care Assistant Univ Cert

The course is ideal for Hearing or Optical Assistants and Practice Receptionists who want to be more useful in their practice. You’ll be able to talk more confidently to patients about hearing issues and carry out aftercare services and hearing aid repairs under the supervision of an HAD.

Benefits to you and your employer:

• A better understanding of hearing aid audiology
• Confidence and skills to support RHAD's in clinical practice and client care.
• Safely perform otoscopy, take impressions and complete screening audiometry.
• Understand the initial fit of a hearing aid and make basic repairs.
• Knowledge to elicit customer history and identify the need for onward referral.

Modules

Due to the structure of this course, there will be instances where you will study two modules simultaneously during a trimester. You will be supported by your tutors to help manage your workload and assessment deadlines.

Please contact one of our advisers to discuss the pacing of this course and the options available to match your circumstances.

Learning and Skills Development for HE and Work (Audiology)

Develop the learning skills that are essential to success, both on this course and whilst working as a hearing aid audiologist, including communication and IT skills, as well as a thorough understanding of the professional Code of Practice and how to record your development.

Understanding the Work Sector (Audiology)

Develop your understanding of the nature of the work sector and the environments in hearing aid audiology. You’ll explore the impact of political, social, economic and technological factors on hearing aid audiology and consider the legal and ethical frameworks informing hearing aid audiologists.

Practical Procedures for the Hearing Care Assistant

Develop a fundamental knowledge and competency in the clinical skills and procedures that can be legally assigned to you in your role as an HCA. You’ll gain practical skills for safely performing otoscopy, identifying and recognising the findings, eliciting and recording a basic patient history, and communicating the results to assist in client referral or management.

You’ll also be introduced to impression taking and the principles of rehabilitation to assist the HAD. Finally, you will study the generic features of modern hearing aids to assist and advise the customer, and practice first fit procedures.

Assessment

You will be assessed on a module-by-module basis in the form of multiple-choice examinations, together with a portfolio based continuous assessment of practical competencies.

The final assessment for the practical skills required to complete will involve an exam and a practical assessment which will take place on our Cambridge campus. This will require an overnight stay.

Srikanth Chundu

Course leader

Previously a cochlear implant Audiologist at University of Southampton Auditory Implant Service, and a distance learning tutor for the course, Sri joined Anglia Ruskin University on a fulltime basis in April 2105. He has worked in various settings in Audiology and is currently involved with a number of research projects in collaboration with other Universities, in areas including Cochlear implant rehabilitation, Internet based rehabilitation, Psycho-social aspects of hearing loss and occupational hearing loss.

Sri is a Doctor of Audiology (Au.D), a Master of Science (M.Sc) in Audiology, a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Speech & Hearing: and is registered with the Registration Council for Clinical Physiologists (RCCP) as Audiologist.

Dr Robert C MacKinnon

Senior Lecturer

Robert's undergraduate studies for his BA (Hons) in Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge gave him a broad scientific background. He specialised in Neuroscience in his final year and his undergraduate project was performed in Professor Brian Moore's lab and focused on cochlear implant simulation, and was subsequently published.

Robert completed his PhD in Otorhinolaryngology at the University of Nottingham. He worked in the National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Hearing Biomedical Research Unit (now Biomedical Research Centre). His project focused on the long-term effects of recreational music listening, and used a novel questionnaire and hearing test to test hundreds of participants online over the internet.

Robert trained clinically as a HCPC-registered Clinical Scientist in Audiology at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, with an associated MSc (Merit) in Clinical Science (Neurosensory) from the University of Manchester. He has experience in paediatric, vestibular, complex adult, and single sided clinics, as well as routine clinics. Robert is also a HCPC-registered Hearing Aid Dispenser.

Our Hearing Care Assistant Univ Cert is delivered in a blend of online learning and block residentials to provide a flexible, practical and career-enhancing learning experience.

You’ll study through Canvas, our world-class online Learning Management System (LMS), which can be accessed from your phone, PC or tablet at home or on the move. Canvas provides instant access to study materials, forums, and support from tutors and classmates, as well as enabling easy submission of your assignments.

On successful completion of your studies, you’ll be invited to attend a graduation ceremony on campus. If attending the ceremony in person is not possible then we’ll arrange to have your certificate sent to you.

To help you land your dream job, our Employability Service will work with you throughout your time at ARU and after you graduate.

We offer:

• careers advice, including one-to-one online and telephone appointments with our experienced advisers
• help with your CV, job searches, applications, and interview preparation
• an online portal packed with useful careers resources
• our Employability Programme, which helps you hone the skills employers say they want in graduates.

• Passes at grade C or above in subjects at GCSE level or equivalent including Maths, English and a Science, OR;
• Demonstration, through documentary evidence, that the required level of knowledge and skills has been achieved in other ways e.g. experiential learning
• If English is not your first language, you will be expected to demonstrate a certificated level of proficiency of at least IELTS 6.0 or equivalent.
• You must have a suitable audiology employer and supervisor in order to gain practical experience. Your primary supervisor must have been registered with the HCPC (or equivalent body eg. RCCP).

You will need to provide evidence that a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance has been undertaken.

If you have lived outside of the UK for 6 months or more within the last 5 years then you will need to provide a police check from the country/countries previously resided in

If you are completing placements overseas you will be required to obtain a police check/certificate of good conduct from the relevant country

As a distance learner, you'll also need a suitable computer with internet connection, together with sufficient IT competence to make effective use our online learning management system (LMS) with high-speed internet and email.

Fees

The full tuition fee for this course is £2,500.

Accredited Prior Learning may reduce the tuition fees. This will be confirmed once your application has been submitted.

Please note that accommodation and personal travel to and from the residentials is not included in the tuition fees.

Funding

Government-backed part time student loans are available to cover the cost of studying this course. These are subject to eligibility and terms and conditions.

We offer payment by instalments, so you can spread the cost of studying with us.

For military students: You can use your ELCs towards this course. Anglia Ruskin University is a recognised ELCAS provider (number 1007). Please contact your Learning Centre for details of ELC, eligibility and how to apply.

For more information on how you fund your studies please see our funding page.

As a current or aspiring Hearing Care Assistant, this distance learning course will give you the skills to provide the highest standard of care to your clients and build upon the competencies of your existing experience. 

A Hearing Care Assistant University Certificate qualification from ARU is designed to equip you with the requisite knowledge to advance and expand your role within your practice. As a student on this course, you will already be working in some capacity within audiology, and have the supervision of a registered HAD. This means that as a work-based programme of study, this course will give you the chance to develop new skills rapidly and gain practical experience to hone your abilities. 

And with the entire course taking place in just nine months, this course offers you a fast-track to development as a Hearing Care Assistant in just one year. If you want to develop, grow and expand your duties and capabilities, this course will help you do just that.

Our online Hearing Care Assistant course is designed to build on your existing competencies to enable you to broaden the duties of your role and grow your clinical practice skills.  

In addition, this distance learning course will teach you a range of core skills which will build your professional aptitude. These skills, including communication and IT, are transferrable across a variety of roles. In your position as a Hearing Care Assistant, this course will not only equip you with the knowledge to boost your clinical abilities, but also the administrative skills to aid in the efficient management of your audiology practice. 

You’ll also learn more about the working environment of audiology, and external factors that can affect both your own role and your patients’ treatment journey. With this online Hearing Care Assistant course, you’ll learn how to maximise your role within the practice of audiology and build a full practical and procedural understanding of what you can do to support patients.  

The residential side of this course, coupled with a work-based approach, means you’ll not only learn more about the role of a Hearing Care Assistant in theory, but you’ll also have the chance to develop hands-on skills too.

Our online Hearing Care Assistant Uni Cert course is a personal development opportunity designed to give you the confidence to tackle new challenges within your role. 

With this qualification, you’ll learn new skills and boost your confidence, enabling you as a Hearing Care Assistant to take initiative where appropriate in dispensing care and recommending treatments. You’ll also learn more about the role of those around you in the practice to be able to refer patients for further specialised treatment, as well as boosting your own capabilities to build an all-encompassing understanding.

If you’re looking for a new qualification to improve your skills as a hearing care assistant, our online study programme gives you the chance to engage newfound skills with workplace practices for a maximally effective mode of study. 

With an online Hearing Care Assistant qualification, you’ll enjoy the flexibility of a study schedule that fits around your career and commitments. This course is taught through a programme of training and study which takes place online, complimented by residentials and overseen by a Registered Hearing Aid Dispenser at your practice. 

As a Hearing Care Assistant, you’ll have the opportunity to provide invaluable support and assistance to patients experiencing hearing loss. And with a distance learning course from ARU, you can take your career to the next level.  

Want to know more about distance learning courses from ARU? Take a look at the following blogs: 

• 5 Reasons To Return To Education After A Break
• 7 Time Management Tips For Distance Learners

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