VerifiedAudiology and speech therapy are taught together at most South African universities and registered by the same professional board, but they are different jobs. Audiology is hearing: testing it, fitting hearing aids and cochlear implants, and assessing hearing loss caused by work.
That last part is why a mining company appears in the funder list below, and it is the part most applicants have never thought about.
Occupational hearing loss
Noise-induced hearing loss is an occupational disease. Mines and heavy industry must test their workers’ hearing, keep the records and deal with the claims, and that work is done by audiologists. It is a steady, well-paid part of the profession that sits outside the hospital system entirely.
If that interests you, say so in your bursary motivation. It is the reason Exxaro funds this qualification at all.
Registration and community service
You register with the HPCSA Professional Board for Speech, Language and Hearing Professions. Audiologists are on the Department of Health’s community service list, as are speech and audiology therapists and speech therapists separately, so the remunerated year applies whichever of the three you qualify in.
Bursaries for audiology
- SASLHA, the South African Speech-Language-Hearing Association
- Gauteng Department of Health
- KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health
- North West Provincial Government
- Exxaro
SASLHA is the profession’s own association and the most relevant scheme on that list. It is also the smallest, so apply early.
See also our speech therapy bursaries page for the language and swallowing side of the same board.
