Extra support from support staff is a win for everyone, says CHEDY KALACH and HEATHER JOSEPH from the Australasian College of Audiometry.
By Chedy Kalach and Heather Joseph 
What if there was a better way to work smarter, not harder – increasing productivity while reducing workload and improving patient satisfaction?
You may be thinking this sounds familiar or unrealistic. It might work for others, but not for your clinic. If so, please hear us out.
You are experienced clinicians who stay current with technology, research, and professional standards. Through continuing education and engagement with professional bodies, you ensure the best possible outcomes for your patients. This is foundational – a non-negotiable – but perhaps there is a way of structuring your clinic that could better support how your time is used.
Assuming you have front-of-house staff or client service officers handling administrative tasks, what is their retention rate, and do they have genuine job satisfaction?
You have support staff because you need to be in clinic and do not have time to manage claims, organise appointments, and handle everything else. We hear you. However, are they always fully utilised while you are seeing patients?
Do you run late because a patient needs extra time, find you cannot proceed due to a wax build-up and are left with an unexpected gap, or discover that fittings or technical issues take time away from patients with more complex needs?
ERODING VALUABLE CLINICAL TIME
Individually, these moments feel minor. Collectively, they reduce appointment utilisation and quietly erode valuable clinical time.
If this resonates, we understand. And if your view is that a great front-of-house team is just as important as the clinician – first impressions matter and last – we completely agree. If a client is not welcomed well from the outset, it can quickly become an uphill battle.
Having worked in business and vocational training for many years, what we have seen repeatedly is that some of the strongest students are those already working in the industry or actively seeking a clear pathway forward. They are familiar with, or eager to learn, industry protocols, integrate well into clinical practice, and are receptive to training.
Have you asked your support staff whether they would be interested in progressing their career and becoming a clinical audiometrist? Could this be an opportunity lost if it is never explored?
It is often said that investing time and money into training staff is wasted because they will leave. The familiar response is: but what if they stay? Perhaps the more important question is what you are offering them in terms of job satisfaction and career progression.
PATHWAYS FOR TRAINEE AUDIOMETRISTS
If you already have front-of-house staff – or are recruiting – why not consider offering a pathway to become a trainee audiometrist? While there is no formal traineeship in audiometry, employment contracts can still be structured in a traineeship-style arrangement.
Hiring or upskilling the right person – someone who fits your clinic culture – is often more important than the skills they currently possess. Skills can be taught; attitude and cultural fit are far harder to instil.
This model already works across many professions: dentists with hygienists, doctors with nurses, radiologists with radiographers, ophthalmologists with orthoptists, and beyond.
The Diploma of Audiometry offered through the Australasian College of Audiometry (AuCA) is a flexible, industry-designed course created by audiologists to address workforce training and retention challenges. It equips students with essential clinical skills alongside the professional competencies required in modern practice.
In practice, this can involve an agreement with an existing employee, or a traineeship-style condition within a new employment contract, supported by a post-qualification clause. This attracts candidates seeking a career rather than just a job. A typical structure may involve a four-to-five-year commitment: qualification, internship, and post qualification employment.
During training, staff become increasingly valuable to the clinic – not only after qualification.
COMPETENCE GROWS
Because the program is vocational, staff can continue administrative work while gradually transitioning into clinical tasks as their competence grows. This frees clinicians to focus on complex care. For trainees, the benefits include job security, professional progression, improved satisfaction, and a nationally accredited qualification.
If staff do leave, it is usually due to life circumstances. Agreements can include repayment clauses, but regardless, you have contributed meaningfully to someone’s long-term career and to the care of future patients.
Once qualified, staff progress through their ACAud inc. HAASA internship and become true clinical assets. With trained team members sharing the load, clinics can see more patients, focus on complex cases, or create space to work on the business — not just in it.
Contrary to the belief that training staff consumes time that you do not have, when done well, it multiplies skills and efficiency.
One final thought: would you rather have trained staff leave after five years, or untrained staff stay for five years? Sustainable practices are built on culture, opportunity, and mutual respect – not just financia incentive.
About the authors: Mr Chedy Kalach is managing director of the Australasian College of Audiometry (AuCA) and Ms Heather Joseph is AuCA general manager.
For more information, see https://www.auca.edu.au/.
