Hearing screening

A guide for patients undergoing hearing screening at the St. Paul’s Hospital Rotary Hearing Clinic.

Overview

The St. Paul’s Hospital Rotary Hearing Clinic is a referral centre for a variety of hearing-related services at Providence Health Care. 

It's for patients in BC with complex ear and hearing-related disorders. We help to diagnose patients with both hearing and balance disorders.

What to expect

Your Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) doctor will refer you for a hearing screen. Sometimes that screening will happen before your appointment with the ENT doctor, and sometimes it will be after.

One of our audiometric (hearing test) technicians will conduct several tests to determine how well you can hear.

If required, your ENT doctor will refer you for more detailed testing with one of our audiologists based at the Audio-Vestibular Diagnostic Clinic

Preparing for the test

To get the most out of your appointment and to have a smooth experience, here’s some tips for planning your visit.

  • Avoid exposure to a noisy environment for at least 18 hours before your appointment.
  • Your appointment will be approximately an hour long.
  • If you do not speak English and need an interpreter (at no cost to you), please let us know in advance.
  • If you need a sign language interpreter (at no cost to you), please let us know in advance.
  • Please note or think about any changes in your condition since your last visit.
  • Please do not wear scented products. Providence Health Care’s hospitals and residences are scent-free environments.

During the test

One of our technicians will place earphones in your ears. You will be asked to raise your hand when you hear tones played at different volumes and pitches in one ear at a time. You will also be asked to repeat words to determine how much you can understand speech.

After the test

Your referring ENT doctor receives your test results for review and will contact you with the results.

Support for Indigenous Peoples

The Indigenous Wellness Liaison Team is here to support your health journey. Team members offer cultural support and healthcare advocacy. Learn more below or call them at 604-682-2344,62937 or email IWL@providencehealth.bc.ca.

  • Indigenous wellness services

    The Indigenous Wellness Team at Providence is available to support Indigenous patients and their families. We are here to coordinate culturally safe wellness supports and services.

Education & resources

Useful resources

Location

Rotary Hearing Clinic
2nd Floor, Providence Wing, St. Paul's Hospital

Hours

Monday to Friday
7:45 a.m. — 4:30 p.m.

Contact

Find related services

Providence also operates the following audiology-related services and clinics:

Medical & professional referrals

We only accept hearing screening requests from Providence Health Care ENT specialists.