Ritu Kumar-Gustard is a senior audiologist based at One Life in Hartlepool, whose work supports audiology patients with hearing assessments and auditory disorders.
After an initial interest in optometry, Ritu, originally from Hartlepool approached her audiology colleagues to ask more about the specialism. One degree later and she has successfully worked her way into a senior audiologist position.
We sat down with her to find out a little bit more about what a career in audiology looks like.
What led you to a career in audiology?
When my sister and I were younger, we had a Saturday job dispensing glasses in an opticians. Originally, I had wanted to be an optician as even as a child I had loved getting my eyes tested. But the reality was that I was less enamoured with the sales side of things.
I approached my audiologist colleagues at my Saturday job and asked if I could observe and that was it really. It was at that point that I decided I wanted to train further, so I went on to do a degree in audiology at the University of Sunderland.
I graduated and worked in the Freeman up until a year ago when I noticed a job at the One Life. I applied and here I am!
What might a usual day look like?
My day to day usually features me in clinic. I may see some adult appointments, checking in with my more regular patients who are due a hearing aid device upgrade, to then seeing new patients who have just been referred to the service.
We would work with the patient to understand their medical history, what complaint brought them to the appointment and then may involve diagnostic testing for those who have noticed a change in their hearing.
Usually I have a mixed afternoon which may include some one off testing. This may be with children who are between the ages of four and 16 and this might be a new or a review appointment.
We also have ear, nose and throat (ENT) clinics at the University Hospital of Hartlepool as well, so we will work alongside consultants in the hospital to support with any diagnostic tests that are required.
We also do domiciliary visits about twice a month – so that involves going to see patients (as far as Seaham) who may be housebound but also need audiology support.
I am primarily based at the One Life, but there is definitely a bit of variety in moving around to hospital and home visits that keeps things interesting.
In addition to this, I also run my own private ear wax removal business. I would always advocate that people see someone qualified and registered for this type of procedure to ensure you don’t do damage your ear.
What’s next for your career?
As a senior audiologist the next step for me is to train and work towards a specialism. I have a three year plan which will help me to decide what I’d like to specialise in. Currently, I do a mix of adult and paediatric clinics but you can specialise in certain types of hearing loss such as tinnitus. So there is scope to be really knowledgeable in a specific area and to be the subject matter expert that patients with that condition will be referred to.
What do you love about your role?
It is the patients at the end of the day. For example, they might come in with a problem with their hearing aid and you get to solve the issue and immediately see how much of a difference you have made. There is massive satisfaction in knowing they will go home and you’ve made a difference to their day – knowing you have done a good job.
I also have to add that I have an amazing close-knit team who are really supportive of one another. We are around each other for many hours of the day so feeling supported, being able to touch base and also making friends outside of work hours makes a huge difference.
Any advice for someone considering a career in audiology?
Anyone can consider a career in audiology. If you enjoy being a part of a team and ultimately helping people then it is a career I’d recommend. It’s not a job that involves invasive procedures but you can still have a huge impact in patient care.