Other assisting occupations in support of health services
High opportunity occupation
Career Overview
This group includes workers who provide services and assistance to health-care professionals and other health-care staff.
People in this occupation:
- Work in hospitals, medical clinics, offices of health-care professionals, nursing homes, optical retail stores and laboratories and medical pathology laboratories
Job Titles
Duties
Audiometric technicians:
- Under the supervision of audiologists, administer tests, such as pure tone hearing screening, impedance tests and noise level measurements using equipment, such as audiometers and sound level meters to determine hearing thresholds of patients
- Instruct patients on test procedures and record results
- Monitor, check and calibrate auditory equipment
- May take earmold impressions and fit and adjust hearing instruments
- Assist speech-language pathologists during assessment of patients
- Carry out treatment programs and develop materials for use with patients, under the supervision of speech-language pathologists
- Document patient rehabilitation progress
- Check and maintain therapeutic equipment and materials
Orthopedic technologists:
- Help orthopedic surgeons in the treatment of orthopedic diseases and injuries by applying and adjusting casts, splints, bandages and other orthopedic devices
- Help with the application, maintenance and adjustment of traction equipment
- Clean and dress wounds
- Remove casts, sutures, staples and pins
- Teach patients and their families and other health-care professionals about orthopedic matters
Rehabilitation aids:
- Prepare and maintain equipment and supplies
- Help patients as directed by health-care professionals such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists and chiropractors
- Routine office functions
Ophthalmic assistants:
- Operate ophthalmic testing and measuring instruments to aid ophthalmologists in assessing patients' vision
- Record test results
- Assist ophthalmologists in office surgery
- Administer eye drops, ointments and medications as directed by ophthalmologists
- Clean and maintain instruments and equipment used during examinations
- Take patients' general medical and ophthalmic history
- Perform various administrative duties
Optical and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and assistants:
- Operate laboratory equipment to grind, cut, polish and edge lenses for eyeglasses according to prescriptions received and fit lenses into frames
- Make minor repairs for customers such as replacing frame screws or straightening frames
- Maintain and repair optical laboratory equipment or machinery
Sterile processing technicians:
- Operate and maintain machines such as instrument washers, sonic sinks, cart washers and steam autoclaves to clean and sterilize these supplies for re-use according to standardized safety
- Reassemble equipment and assemble packs of sterile supplies and instruments for delivery to hospital departments
Blood donor clinic assistants:
- Set up and take apart equipment
- Prepare and maintain cleanliness of collection areas
- Maintain supplies
- Record information on donors
- Monitor donors throughout procedure
- Help with post-donation care and donor reaction care as assigned under supervision of a registered nurse
- Label and process donated blood
Morgue attendants:
- Help pathologists at autopsies by laying out surgical instruments
- Prepare solutions for preservation of specimens
- Transfer bodies from morgue to examining table
- Remove organs and tissue specimens, as instructed by the attending pathologist, and place them in preservative solutions
- Clean and sew up bodies for release to funeral home
Earnings
Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.
Work Environment
# Workers Employed
4,780% Employed Full Time
39%Key aspects of the work in this occupational group:
- Work takes place in health-care, laboratory and pathology settings
- Workers may be exposed to infectious bacteria and viruses that may cause illness
- Tools used in surgical procedures may result in injury
- Workers may be exposed to strong and unpleasant odours
Career Pathways
Ophthalmic assistants may progress to ophthalmic technician positions with training and experience.
Related Careers
Occupational Interests
It’s important to understand what kinds of occupations align with your interests.
For more about occupational interests visit Skills for the Future Workforce > Characteristics.
Here are the top occupational interest(s) for this career profile:
Education, Training and Skills
Audiometric technicians
Audiometric technicians usually require usually require a specialization in industrial audiometry testing.
Orthopedic technologists
Orthopedic technologists usually require completion of secondary school and several months of on-the-job training or completion of a college orthopedic technologist program.
Registration with the Canadian Society of Orthopaedic Technologists is available and may be required by employers.
Ophthalmic assistants
Ophthalmic assistants require completion of a six to twelve month ophthalmic assistants college program or a minimum of one year of on-the-job training under the supervision of an ophthalmologist, and completion of an approved ophthalmic assistant home study program
Certification by the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology may be required by employers.
Medical therapy assistants
Health care courses or short-term college programs related to the work of medical therapy assistants, such as recreational therapy programs, are available and may be required by employers.
Sterile processing technicians
Workers in these occupations require completion of secondary school and a six- to nine-month sterile processing college program.
Other assisting occupations
Completion of secondary school and several months of on-the-job training are usually required for other assisting occupations in this group.
Education programs in B.C.
The following program areas are related to this occupation:
- Pharmacy/Pharmacology Related
- Rehabilitation/Therapeutic Services
Skills
Every job calls for a certain set of skills. Knowing those skills is the first step in finding a good career fit.
Here, you will find the 10 most relevant workplace skills. Some are more important to achieving success in a certain career than others. These skills may come naturally to you or you may need to gain them through education, training and experience.
See the list of work-related skills below, ranked in order of importance for this career. Check out the list and see if this career matches your skills—take that first step!
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Talking to others to share information effectively.
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Keeping track of and assessing your performance, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Understanding how new information could be used to solve current and future problems in making decisions.
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Labour Market Statistics
Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.
Employment
Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.
Employment
4,780Employment by Region
| Region | Employment | % Employment of this Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 175 | 3.7% |
| Kootenay | 145 | 3.0% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 2,690 | 56.3% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 50 | 1.0% |
| Northeast | 30 | 0.6% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 715 | 15.0% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 975 | 20.4% |
Labour Market Outlook
The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.
Forecasted Job Openings (2024-2034)
2,510Forecasted Job Openings
Forecasted Employment Growth Rate
Composition of Job Openings
Job Openings by Region (2024-2034)
| Region | Job Openings | Avg. Annual Employment Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 110 | 1.5% |
| Kootenay | 50 | 0.8% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 1,420 | 2.1% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 20 | 0.5% |
| Northeast | 0 | -0.3% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 340 | 1.8% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 570 | 2.3% |
Industry Highlights
Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.
Forecasted Job Openings by Industry
| Industry | Job Openings (2024-2034) |
|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 2,320 |
| Retail Trade | 80 |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | 30 |
| Wholesale Trade | 20 |
| Educational Services | 20 |
Resources
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Authorized Industrial Audiometric (Hearing Test) Facilitieswww.worksafebc.com/en/resources/health-safety/information-sheets/authorized-industrial-audiometric-testing-businesses?lang=en
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BC Emergency Health Services – Careerswww.bcehs.ca/careers
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BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS)www.bcehs.ca
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BC Family Hearing Resource Societywww.bcfamilyhearing.com/my-child-has-been-identified-with-hearing-loss-deafness/
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Canadian Hard of Hearing Association, B.C. Chapter (CHHA-BC)chha-bc.org
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Canadian Society of Ophthalmic Medical Personnelwww.cos-sco.ca/csomp
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College of Speech and Hearing Health Professionals of BC (CSHHPBC)cshbc.ca
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Connect Hearing – Careerswww.connecthearing.ca/careers
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Emergency Medical Assistants Licensing Boardwww2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/partners/colleges-boards-and-commissions/emergency-medical-assistants-licensing-board
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National Safety Council (NSC)www.nsc.org/pages/home.aspx
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The Occupational First Aid Attendants Association of BC – Professional Membership Benefitswww.ofaaa.bc.ca/benefits.html
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The Occupational First Aid Attendants Association of British Columbia (OFAAABC)www.ofaaa.bc.ca
