The course runs from Monday to Friday, commencing at 9.00am and finishing by 4.30pm on most days. On Wednesday and Friday there will be an earlier finish (by around 3.30pm).

The course venue is Boulevard Centre at 99 The Boulevard, Floreat (in Perth, WA).

The Audiometric Officer Course provides best practice, comprehensive training in the audiometric skills and knowledge required to conduct hearing assessments according to the requirements of WorkCover WA – the Western Australian government compensation authority.

The primary aim of the course is to prepare students for their application to obtain the qualification of Approved Audiometric Officer (AAO) with WorkCover WA.

While conducting a hearing test can be seen as simply “pressing a few buttons” there is far more involved in completing the task accurately and according to best practice. Our aim in this course is to produce “thinking” graduates who have the confidence and ability to consistently obtain accurate results and make correct decisions in routine and challenging testing situations.

The Audiometric Officer Course is taught to small-medium sized groups. This allows our teachers to provide one-on-one, hands-on practical tuition and individually tailor each student’s development of key audiometry skills.

The course will be valuable to those:

• Working in health and safety and seeking to become a WorkCover WA “approved tester”
• Implementing and maintaining an in-company audiometry program
• Seeking a qualification to assist in changing career direction to health assessment

No prior qualifications are required to register into the course, however a considerable amount of material is presented, and students who haven’t studied for some years may wish to review study skills and practices.

Students are posted a Course Manual and pre-course assignment about 2-3 weeks prior to the course. The aim of the assignment is to familiarise students with the key course material and to gain marks; the mark from the assignment is added to the marks achieved from the final day exam.

Students will be assessed on the final day of the course with both a Written and Practical Exam.

The Written Exam draws on material from the student manual (posted with the assignment 2-3 weeks before the course). The Practical Exam requires students to independently and accurately conduct a complete hearing test according to specific WorkCover WA protocols. Results will be announced on the final day.

Students who pass the course will receive a Graduation Certificate from The Hearing Company. This certificate allows graduates to apply to WorkCover WA to become an Approved Audiometric Officer (AAO).

While the pass rate on this course is high (over 95%), students who fail either part of the exam will be offered a supplementary assessment, usually on the Friday afternoon of the course. Supplementary assessments undertaken at a later date attract an extra fee, as will any extra tuition or supervision provided by The Hearing Company after the course has finished.

The Hearing Company will notify WorkCover of the names of all graduates which will complete the registration process to become an Approved Audiometric Officer.

Here’s what some of our previous students have said about the Audiometric Officer Course:

“Every presenter was excellent and easy to understand. The Skills Coaches were patient and very encouraging. The course was well-paced and the presenter picked up and recovered material when the group went “blank”. I enjoyed learning new skills and updating old ones; otoscopy in particular.”
Beverley, Practice Nurse, Forrestfield, WA (December 2018)

“I found this a very informative and challenging course. Exercises were brilliant; they consolidated everything we learnt and put into perspective. Wonderful skills coaching team! Very calming, patient and understanding an encouraging. I most enjoyed learning new skills and the correct way to conduct audiometry and otoscopy. I’d like to reiterate that I thought The Hearing Company’s training and Skills Coaches were brilliant.”
Leanne, Nurse Manager, Perth (December 2018)

 “The course provided very good, presented by knowledgeable teachers who drew on extensive experience when conveying ideas and advice. The course was very informative and I learned so much, especially about hearing loss and I’m now much more confident in conducting otoscopy. This was a great course and I have a renewed appreciation for audiology and audiologists.”
Bernie, Health Specialist, Kalgoorlie (February 2019)

Read more testimonials here.

What do the feedback forms say? Course evaluations from hundreds of students reveals:

• 98% were “confident in their ability to complete accurate hearing assessments”
• 90% noted that the course duration was “just right for the amount of material covered”
• 90% agreed that there was “a good mix of theory and practical teaching”
• 95% said the presenters and Skills Coaches were “knowledgeable, friendly and approachable”
• 99% would “recommend the course to others”

Please contact Lynne Miles, Course Coordinator, with any question or to discuss the suitability of this course for your requirements: 0478 776 039 or [email protected].

In addition to graduating from the Audiometric Officer Course, to become an Approved Audiometric Officer (AAO) students must also complete an application process with WorkCover WA.

To register with WorkCover WA, complete the registration process via an online portal on the WorkCover WA website either before or after attending the Audiometric Officer Course. This process involves entering personal details, undertaking online training and completing a short assessment.

A range of teaching methods are utilised during the course to assist students to learn the key skills, including hands on practice, written exercises, role plays, industry anecdotes, visual and auditory presentations, quizzes, demonstrations and “at-elbow” supervision. We also aim to engage and challenge, and many graduates find the course to be interesting (and even fun!). Our teachers certainly enjoy what they do, and this comes out in the teaching.

We supply all practice equipment including audiometers, otoscopes and consumables.

Lunch, morning tea and afternoon tea will be provided each day.

Course material is drawn from several key audiometry reference documents including:

• Workcover WA noise Induced hearing Loss Approved Procedures
• Australian Standard/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS1269.4
• NAL Report 80 Criteria for assessing hearing conservation audiograms

• Understanding sound and how it works
• Achieving and maintaining a quiet test environment (or “Managing the effects of background noise on test accuracy” as per OAC)
• Selecting, using and managing testing equipment
• Detecting and managing equipment faults
• Conducting hearing tests on adults following the Australian Standard technique
• Conducting an effective case history
• Analysing audiograms and applying referral criteria
• Accurately describing audiograms and presenting test results to workers
• Ear anatomy, physiology and common ear conditions in adults
• Conducting otoscopy (ear inspections) safely and effectively
• Maintaining Accuracy – tips and techniques for new testers
• Managing challenging testing situations
• Causes of Hearing Loss in adults
• WorkCover Legislation including requirements for “Approved Audiometric Officers”
• Extended audiometry Practice – completing simulated WorkCover hearing tests

No, the qualification is Western Australian-specific.

The WA government has very stringent and specific requirements for conducting workplace audiometry and lodging test results, unlike the requirements in other states.

Our 4-day Occupational Audiometry Course provides full compliance with testing requirements outside WA.

In short, there is a lot of material to cover and skills to learn.

Our focus is on ensuring students complete the course with confidence in their new skills and knowledge, and this takes time. We provide multiple one-on-one practice sessions, each building on the previous, until students are capable of independently and accurately completing a full assessment.

The WorkCover WA requirements are quite rigorous, and we need to time to both teach the material and allow time to discuss how to integrate into everyday practice in the workplace.

We acknowledge that people learn at different paces (some much faster than others) and in any group this is a challenge for the teachers. We’ve found that running the course over 5 days allows the majority of students to pass, without being too stressful for less confident learners.

The following fees are payable should a participant withdraw from the course:

• Following registration: 10% of full course fee
• Within 3 weeks of the starting date: 50% of full course fee
• Within 1 week of the starting date: 100% of full course fee

Yes, we accept transfers to another person but only within the same course. Deferring a registration to another course (different dates) is regarded as a cancellation.

No, passing the course is not guaranteed although the pass rate is high (95%).

Students must pass a written and practical assessments on the final day of the course to obtain a Graduation Certificate.

To pass the practical assessment students are required to demonstrate “competence” in the key aspects of a conducting a WorkCover WA-specific hearing assessment. The closed-book written assessment is completed during class time. Results are issued on the final afternoon.

Passing the course usually requires some application, effort and study although most people do pass. We draw on over 15 years of experience (and enthusiasm!) with teaching over 1,200 students to design methods and materials to support the majority of students to learn what’s required over 5 days.

No, this is not required although students are welcome to bring equipment if they would like advice on how to use a particular audiometer.

We supply all required practice equipment, including audiometers, otoscopes and consumables.

Yes, the Audiometric Officer Course provides up to 26 hours of contact and tuition, which can be claimed towards CPD requirements.

Public courses are usually conducted at a venue in Floreat (Perth).

We also conduct in-company courses for organisations with multiple employees to be trained. This can work out as a cost-effective and efficient way to upskill a team. Our equipment and teaching personnel are completely portable.

Another course that may be of interest to practices and businesses in WA is the 1-day Audiometry Basics Workshop.

Note: the Audiometry Basics Workshop will not provide sufficient training to prepare students for an application to obtain the qualification of Approved Audiometric Officer (AAO) with WorkCover WA.