'All the hard work paid off': Waterford woman qualifies to help local community hear better

A Waterford woman has officially qualified as a Hearing Aid Dispenser, marking a major milestone in her career and a boost to local hearing care services.

Hollie Roche, a proud Waterford native, has completed her full training and stepped into her new role at Specsavers Waterford. While she's now part of the store's audiology team, Hollie says her focus is firmly on helping her own community access better hearing and support.

"It feels great," she said. "I really can't believe that I have finished and now qualified. All the hard work and study paid off, I won't know what to do with myself now with so much spare time in the evenings and weekends."

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Hollie described the training period as a time of significant "confidence" growth, both personally and professionally, adding that it has left her better equipped to support local patients.

The journey wasn't without challenges, particularly when it came to tackling complex testing.

"The hearing tests were the most challenging thing to learn, but through support of my supervisor and putting the lessons into practice the more patients I tested the better I became," she said.

Now fully qualified, Hollie says she is eager to make a direct impact on people's lives in Waterford.

"I am most excited about helping others with their hearing and seeing the changes that hearing aids can make to their quality of life."

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Her approach centres on building comfort and confidence for every individual.

"Everyone's hearing journey is individual, try to tell patients not to judge their own experience to others and to do what is right for them."

Hollie also plans to stay fully up to date with the latest developments in the field. To do that, she intends to engage with "Specsavers internal webinars and training days" as well as her own "research for new product launches".

It was Hollie's background in both healthcare and retail that led her naturally toward audiology. "Specsavers has a great reputation for helping others and that is something I wanted to be involved in," she said.

She is particularly eager to ensure the public knows the store provides more than eyewear: "I am also passionate about spreading the word that Specsavers are here to help people with their hearing."

For anyone considering a career in audiology, Hollie has simple advice: "I would say go for it, you won't look back, it is a very rewarding career and very interesting."