3414 – Other assisting occupations in support of health services

Other assisting workers in support of health services provide services and assistance to health care professionals and other health care staff. They are employed in hospitals, medical clinics, offices of health care professionals, nursing homes, optical retail stores and laboratories, pharmacies and medical pathology laboratories.

Profile

Index of titles

Example titles

• Activationist – health support services
• Activities co-ordinator – health support services
• Activity aide – health support services
• Activity leader – seniors
• Activity worker – health support services
• Acupuncture assistant
• Acupuncture attendant
• Adjuvant
• Autopsy assistant
• Autopsy attendant
• Autopsy technician
• Blood donor clinic assistant
• Blood donor clinic attendant
• Blood donor clinic helper
• Blood sampling attendant
• Cast room technician
• Central service room worker – hospital
• Central supply aide
• Central supply aide – medical
• Central supply room supervisor – hospital
• Central supply room technician – hospital
• Chiropractic aide
• Chiropractic assistant
• Chiropractic health assistant
• Chiropractic office assistant
• Chiropractor aide
• Clinic assistant – medical
• Clinical laboratory helper
• Dispensary assistant
• Drugstore dispensing assistant
• Drugstore side room attendant
• Emergency room attendant
• Emergency-entry attendant – hospital
• Fracture room attendant
• Health aide
• Herbal medicine assistant
• Instrument sterilizer – medical
• Lens grinder-polisher setter
• Lens marker – health support services
• Lens marker – ophthalmic
• Medical clinic assistant
• Medical instrument sterilizer
• Medical material handler
• Morgue attendant
• Morgue technician
• Occupational therapy aide
• Occupational therapy helper
• Ophthalmic goods antireflection (AR) coating technician
• Ophthalmic goods bench worker
• Ophthalmic goods lens coating technician
• Ophthalmic goods lens cutter
• Ophthalmic goods lens tinter
• Ophthalmic lab technician – retail
• Ophthalmic laboratory technician – retail
• Ophthalmic lens bench worker
• Ophthalmic lens cutter
• Ophthalmic lens edge grinder
• Ophthalmic lens grinder
• Ophthalmic lens grinder and polisher
• Ophthalmic lens grinder-polisher setter
• Ophthalmic lens inspector
• Ophthalmic lens marker
• Optical and ophthalmic goods lens picker
• Optical goods inspector
• Optical lab mechanic – retail
• Optical laboratory assistant
• Optical laboratory technician
• Optical laboratory technician – retail
• Optical lens grinder and polisher
• Optical lens inspector
• Optical mechanic
• Optical technician
• Optometric assistant
• Optometric technician
• Optometrist assistant
• Orthopedic assistant
• Orthopedic physician assistant
• Orthopedic supervisor
• Orthopedic technician
• Orthopedic technologist
• Orthopedist aide
• Pharmacy aide
• Pharmacy side room attendant
• Pharmacy supply assistant
• Physical therapy attendant
• Physiotherapy attendant
• Physiotherapy helper
• Phytotherapy assistant
• Plaster room aide
• Plaster room attendant
• Polishing pad mounter
• Post-mortem attendant
• Radiology aide
• Recreation aide – health services
• Recreation therapist aide
• Recreation therapy assistant
• Recreational therapy aide
• Registered central service technician – medical
• Registered orthopedic technologist
• Rehabilitation aide
• Rehabilitation assistant
• Senior adjuvant
• Sterile processing technician
• Sterile processing worker
• Sterile supply room attendant
• Sterilization attendant
• Sterilization processing attendant
• Supply, processing and distribution aide – medical
• Surgical assistant
• Surgical assistant – non-nursing
• Surgical technician – non-nursing
• Therapist assistant – medical
• Therapy aide – medical
• Therapy assistant – medical

Main duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

Orthopedic technologists

• Assist orthopedic surgeons in the treatment of orthopedic diseases and injuries by applying and adjusting casts, splints, bandages and other orthopedic devices
• Assist in the application, maintenance and adjustment of traction equipment
• Clean and dress wounds
• Remove casts, sutures, staples and pins
• Instruct patients and their families and other health care professionals with respect to orthopedic matters.

Rehabilitation assistants

• Prepare and maintain equipment and supplies
• Assist in activities for the rehabilitation of patients as directed by health care professionals
• May perform routine office functions.

Optical/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.

Pharmacy aides

• Help pharmacists and other pharmacy staff with packaging and labelling of pharmaceutical products
• May help in maintaining prescription records and inventories of medications and pharmaceutical products.

Sterile processing technicians

• Operate and maintain sterilization equipment such as instrument washers, sonic sinks, cart washers and steam autoclaves to clean and disinfect trays, carts, linens, supplies, instrumentation and equipment for re-use according to standardized safety practices
• Reassemble equipment and assemble packs of sterile supplies and instruments for delivery to hospital departments.

Blood donor clinic assistants

• Set up and dismantle equipment
• Prepare and maintain cleanliness of collection areas
• Maintain supplies
• Monitor donors throughout procedure and assist with post-donation care and donor reaction care as assigned under the supervision of a registered nurse
• Record information on donors
• Label and process donated blood.

Morgue attendants

• Assist 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 attending pathologist, and placing them in preservative solutions
• Clean and sew up bodies for release to funeral home.

Employment requirements

• Orthopedic technologists usually require completion of secondary school and several months of on-the-job training or a college orthopedic technologist program.
• Registration with the Canadian Society of Orthopaedic Technologists is available and may be required by employers.
• 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.
• Pharmacy aides require completion of secondary school and several months of on-the-job training.
• Sterile processing technicians require completion of secondary school and a six- to nine-month sterile processing college program.
• Completion of secondary school and several months of on-the-job training are usually required for other assisting occupations in this unit group.

Exclusions

• Medical technologists and technicians (in 321 Medical technologists and technicians (except dental health))
• Operating room technicians (in 3233 Licensed practical nurses)
• Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment (3237)
• Pathologists’ assistants (in 3212 Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists’ assistants)
• Pharmacy clerks (in 6421 Retail salespersons)
• Pharmacy technicians (in 3219 Other medical technologists and technicians (except dental health))