Being newly qualified in any profession can be daunting. You have experienced years of studying and you are elated at having passed those final exams, but now you are facing a tough decision… what kind of graduate audiologist role are you going to choose, private practice or NHS?
Across the health care industry, newly qualified practitioners have to assess their situation and decide whether they are going to pursue a role in private practice or the NHS.
Here at Prospect Health we often speak to newly qualified audiologists who are worried that once they decide which route to take, they will be pigeon holed in that setting for the rest of their career.
We want to share with you our expert knowledge and experience when facing the decision as to where to practice as a graduate audiologist.
Firstly let’s look at the qualities a good audiologist needs, regardless of their experience:
Qualities of an Audiologist
- Ability to communicate well with all types of people
- Good problem solving skills
- Ability to work as part of a team
- A caring and understanding attitude
- Good manual dexterity
- Analytical skills
Throughout your training you will have gathered experiences of these qualities so it’s important for your Audiology CV and your confidence to spend some time thinking about this and building a record of how you can demonstrate you have these qualities. It will also help you later on when answering interview questions!
As a newly qualified audiologist we will help you find a role where you will be supported and developed in accordance with your experience. Many of our clients both NHS and private, actively look for newly qualified audiologists as they want someone they can mould and develop who will ultimately become a great asset for their practice.
Here is our quick overview of the benefits of working in the NHS or private practice as a graduate Audiologist
| NHS | Private practice |
| Career development and opportunities to progress | Opportunity to take on more responsibility and better salary package than a NHS Band 5 starter role – NHS newly qualified audiologists start at around £22k whereas in private practice there’s OTE £40k + New starters can quickly progress to regional management and clinical trainer positions |
| Greater job security | Access to better resources and new technology not available on the NHS |
| Less financial pressure to perform – not financially target driven | Less bureaucracy – decisions can be made quickly |
| Greater scope of patients – opportunities to diversify | Opportunity to make a real difference to patients due to appointment times and continuity of care. Long NHS waiting lists mean more private referrals |
| You would usually work 37.5 hours per week including weekends and most likely to work in an NHS hospital or clinic | Greater flexibility and reduced case load |
Essentially deciding on which path to take is entirely your decision; however we would recommend you have a think about your experiences so far and then have a chat with our experienced team and discuss the various roles we have available.
Our experienced team will talk you through the kinds of patients you have worked with, whether you’re looking to specialise in any particular area and they will also chat through your aims in terms of salary and flexibility. They will then go away and work hard to match you to suitable vacancies which they will come back and discuss with you and you can go from there!
If you are a graduate audiologist looking for a new role call our specialist audiology team today on 01423 813 459 or email us on [email protected]– they’re looking forward to hearing from you!