Part four: Health professions

Any person who fits hearing aids to hearing impaired people is considered to be practising the profession of hearing aid acoustician. This includes selecting, fitting, dispensing and checking the immediate and permanent effectiveness of the hearing aid and the prosthetic education of the hearing impaired person fitted with the aid. All hearing aids are issued subject to a prior, compulsory medical prescription to wear a hearing aid, following an otological…

Before entering the profession, persons who have obtained the evidence of formal qualifications or authorisation required to practise as a hearing aid acoustician must register with the department or body designated for this purpose by the Minister responsible for health. The registration of these persons is carried out after verification of the supporting documents attesting to their identity and their training qualification or authorisation. They must inform the same department…

The organisations issuing the training certificates send these certificates to the service or organisation mentioned in article L. 4361-2 in the form of certified information.

Where available, the certified information referred to in Article L. 4361-2-1 shall serve as supporting documents for the fulfilment of the obligations laid down in Article L. 4361-2.

The diplomas, certificates or other evidence of formal qualifications referred to in article L. 4361-2 are the diplôme d’Etat d’audioprothésiste (State diploma in hearing-aid acoustics) awarded after preparatory studies and tests, the syllabus of which is laid down by decree, or any other diploma, certificate or other evidence of formal qualifications enabling the practice of medicine in France. Hearing-aid acousticians may use their evidence of formal qualifications in the language…

The competent authority may, after obtaining the opinion of a committee composed in particular of professionals, individually authorise to practise the profession of hearing-aid acoustician nationals of a Member State of the European Union or of another State party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area who, without possessing one of the diplomas, certificates or qualifications provided for in Article L. 4361-3, hold : 1° Evidence of formal qualifications…

Notwithstanding the provisions of article L. 4361-2, the following are authorised to continue practising the profession of hearing aid acoustician: 1° Persons holding a certificate of technical studies in acoustics applied to hearing aid fittings issued by faculties of medicine, faculties of pharmacy or combined faculties of medicine and pharmacy; 2° Subject to being authorised to do so by a national qualification commission set up by order of the ministers…

The professional activity of hearing aid acoustician may only be carried out in premises reserved for this purpose and fitted out, in accordance with conditions laid down by decree, to enable the practice of hearing aid acoustics as defined in the second paragraph of article L. 4361-1.

Hearing aids may not be hired out, peddled, sold itinerantly, sold as demonstrators, or sold by canvassing or mail order.