Certificate of Proficiency in Hearing Aid Dispensing

The Certificate of Proficiency in Hearing Aid Dispensing course is aimed primarily at suitably qualified Healthcare Science Practitioners practicing within the NHS Audiology who wish to gain employment in the private sector or work across both NHS and private sectors.

Medical equipment used for audiology on a patient table

Duration8 weeks

Start dates9 February 2026

Fee£500

Course codeCID1596

Course summary

The course will focus initially on developing an understanding of the registration requirements of the Hearing Aid Dispenser in private practice, such as Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics, Standards of Proficiency and Standards of Continuing Professional Development.

Students will also gain an understanding of business marketing and planning, consumer rights & protection laws, safeguarding, Health & Safety legislation, and hearing aid / assistive device technologies. The quality assurance and improvement processes related to independent practice in hearing aid audiology will be explored.

The taught component of this course is designed to be delivered online, with a requirement for an in-person examination at the end of the course at the University of Sunderland’s City Campus.

Accreditations and approvals

The Certificate of Proficiency in Hearing Aid Dispensing is accredited by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

What you'll study

HCS239 Certificate of Proficiency in Hearing Aid Dispensing (10 credits)

This is a single core module course of 10 credits at Level 5.

Gain an understanding of the principles and legislation related to the role of the Hearing Aid Dispenser in private clinical practice. This module is designed to meet the registration requirements for Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) for suitably qualified Audiologists.

How you'll learn

The course will be delivered online using the University of Sunderland’s virtual learning environment (VLE) Canvas. The course will be taught off-campus with an attended on-campus exam.

The taught component of the course will be delivered over a six-week period by occupationally competent University of Sunderland clinical academic staff. Each week will comprise two hours of pre-recorded lectures in conjunction with links to directed self-study materials.

There will also be six hours of online live group seminars/activity over the duration of the course to include problem-based case studies and in-depth discussion of the module learning outcomes.

Students are assessed using a combination of formative and summative assessments. Problem based case studies, group discussions and multi choice quizzes will form the basis of formative assessments. The course will be assessed by a summative (attended) MCQ examination, which assesses all the module learning outcomes.

Entry requirements

his programme is aimed primarily at Audiologists who are qualified and practicing as NHS practitioners, who wish to register as Hearing Aid Dispensers with HCPC. 
Indicative admissions qualifications include:

BSc (Hons) Healthcare Science – Audiology
BSc (Hons) Healthcare Science Practice – Audiology
BSc (Hons) Audiology
BTEC MPPM plus BAAT (Parts 1 & 2)
MSc Audiology or equivalent with current registration with HCPC as a Clinical Scientist in Audiology
Appropriate international Audiology qualification with current registration with AHCS.

Applicants must have completed a logbook of clinical competence as part of their initial Audiology qualification and have current practice in the field of Audiology.

Applicants must also be able to provide a copy of a current DBS certificate.

Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) / Accreditation of Prior and Experiential Learning (APEL) not appropriate for this programme.

If English is your second language, we require a minimum of IELTS 7.0 (or equivalent) with a minimum of 6.0 in each element.

Admissions to this course will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and applicants may be invited to attend an informal interview / discussion.

Please contact the programme leader if you would like to arrange an informal discussion before applying: deborah.heatlie@sunderland.ac.uk(opens in new tab)

Fees and finance support

Students may need to consider travel/accommodation costs for the summative on-campus exam.

We also accept self-funded applicants and encourage anyone wishing to explore their options to contact cpd@sunderland.ac.uk(opens in new tab).

Apply now

Contact the Corporate and Professional Education team for further information about applying for this course by calling 0191 515 3361(opens in new tab) or emailing cpd@sunderland.ac.uk(opens in new tab).