Meet Lauren Van Der Merwe, Paediatric Audiologist at Hearing Australia

Lauren is one of our talented paediatric audiologists who works everyday to help paediatric clients meet their listening and communication objectives. She describes her role, including as a rehab audiologist, as very rewarding, with a multidisciplinary approach when it comes to supporting a child’s short and long-term goals.

Working at Hearing Australia, she expresses how lucky she feels for working alongside great clinical role models. She shows gratitude particularly for those at the start of her career who took the time to pass on their knowledge and skills. In her role today, she considers each day as unique, in the same way every child is unique. With no typical day, this means organisation is essential, alongside the ability to change and adapt.

The moments Lauren finds most rewarding are those where she can see a real positive change or step forward in a child’s life. Hearing people tell stories of new and forgotten sounds, and what it means to them, never gets old for her. She mentions how she often finds herself thinking about these clients when she hears these sounds in ordinary life.

These client interactions stay with her the most, including the cases where she sees a growth in confidence and self-advocacy, reinforcing that a positive change in their life has occurred.