National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0

3 - Health occupations

This broad category comprises specialized middle management occupations in health care, as well as occupations concerned with providing health care services directly to patients (professional and technical occupations in health) and occupations that provide support to health services.

31 - Professional occupations in health

This major group comprises professional occupations in health, including health treating and consultation services professionals; therapy and assessment professionals; and nursing and allied health professionals. These occupations come with Training, Education, Experience and Responsibility (TEER) identified as TEER 1. Occupations classified in TEER 1, as those in this group with a 1 as the second digit of their code, typically require a university degree (bachelor's, master's or doctorate) or the accumulation several years of experience and expertise in the subject matter knowledge in a related occupation found in TEER 2, when applicable (which includes occupations with a 2 as a second digit in their code).

311 - Health treating and consultation services professionals

This sub-major group comprises health treating and consultation services professionals, including physicians and veterinarians; dentists, optometrists and audiologists; and pharmacists and dietitians.

3111 - Dentists, optometrists and audiologists

This minor group comprises dentists, optometrists and audiologists and speech-language pathologists. They work in private practice, in hospitals, clinics, and public health facilities; laboratories; educational institutions; rehabilitation centres; and government; and in the dental and optical industries.

31112 - Audiologists and speech-language pathologists

Audiologists diagnose, evaluate and treat individuals with peripheral and central hearing loss, tinnitus and balance problems. Speech-language pathologists diagnose, assess and treat human communication disorders including speech, fluency, language, voice and swallowing disorders. Audiologists and speech-language pathologists are employed in hospitals, community and public health centres, extended care facilities, day clinics, rehabilitation centres and educational institutions, or may work in private practice. Audiologists and speech-language pathologists who are supervisors are included in this unit group.

• Illustrative example(s)

  • audiologist
  • certified audiologist
  • clinical audiologist
  • educational speech-language pathologist
  • research audiologist
  • speech therapist
  • speech-language clinician

  All examples

• Exclusion(s)

  • Braille instructor (See 42203 Instructors of persons with disabilities)
  • Hearing aid practitioner (See 32109 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment)
  • Lip-reading instructor (See 42203 Instructors of persons with disabilities)
  • Managers in health care (See 30010 Managers in health care)
  • Phoniatrician (See 31100 Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine)
  • Sign language instructor (See 42203 Instructors of persons with disabilities)
  • Speech-language pathology assistant (See 32109 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment)

• Main duties

  This group performs some or all of the following duties:

  Audiologists

  • Develop and administer audiometric tests and examinations using specialized instruments and electronic equipment to diagnose and evaluate the degree and type of patients' hearing impairment
  • Plan and implement habilitation/rehabilitation programs for patients, including selection, fitting and adjustment of amplification devices, such as hearing aids, balance retraining exercises, and teaching speech (lip) reading
  • Educate and counsel patients and families regarding the nature, extent, impact and implications of hearing loss and treatment
  • Establish personalized care plans working as a member of an interdisciplinary team
  • Conduct research related to hearing and hearing disorders
  • May instruct and supervise audiometric technicians, students and other health care personnel.

  Speech-language pathologists

  • Administer tests and examinations and observe patients to diagnose and evaluate speech, voice, resonance, language, fluency, cognitive-linguistic and swallowing disorders
  • Develop, plan and implement remedial programs to correct speech, voice, language, fluency, resonance, cognitive-linguistic and swallowing disorders
  • Establish group and personalized care plans working as a member of an interdisciplinary team
  • Educate and counsel patients and families regarding communication and swallowing disorders
  • Conduct research on speech and other communication disorders and on the development and design of diagnostic procedures and devices
  • May instruct and supervise communicative disorders assistants, students and other health care personnel.

• Employment requirements

  • Audiologists require a master's degree in audiology.
  • Speech-language pathologists require a master's degree in speech-language pathology.
  • Registration with a regulatory body is required for audiologists and speech-language pathologists in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.
  • Membership in the national association, Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists, is usually required.
  • In some jurisdictions, audiologists may be required to obtain a separate licence to dispense hearing aids.

• Additional information

  • Progression into management positions, such as chief audiologist or director of speech-language pathology, is possible with experience.