Last Updated on August 28, 2016

Appendix M – National Occupational Classification (NOC) 3414: Other Assisting Occupations in Support of Health Services

This unit group features workers who provide services and assistance to health care professionals and other health care staff. They usually work in:

• Hospitals

• Medical clinics

• Offices of health care professionals

• Nursing homes

• Optical retail stores and laboratories

• Pharmacies and,

• Medical pathology laboratories

The Example Titles

Some example titles held by these individuals could include:

The Main Duties

The authorities have specified summaries of the main duties for people engaged in some occupations in this unit group.

• Orthopaedic Technologists

  • These individuals assist orthopaedic surgeons in the treatment of orthopaedic diseases and injuries

  • For this, they usually help in applying and adjusting casts, splints, bandages and other orthopaedic devices

  • They assist in the application, maintenance and adjustment of traction equipment as well

  • In addition, they:

    • Clean and dress wounds

    • Remove casts, sutures, staples and pins and,

    • Instruct patients and their families and other health care professionals on various orthopaedic matters

• Rehabilitation Assistants

  • These professionals typically prepare and maintain equipment and supplies

  • They assist in various activities aimed at rehabilitating patients as directed by health care professionals and,

  • On occasions, they might perform some routine office functions

• Optical or Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians and Assistants

  • These individuals operate laboratory equipment for grinding, cutting, polishing and edging lenses for eyeglasses based on the prescriptions received

  • In addition, they fit lenses into frames as well

  • They also make minor repairs for customers such as replacing the screws on the frames or straightening the frames

  • Lastly, they maintain and repair optical laboratory equipment or machinery too

• Pharmacy Aides

  • These professionals assist pharmacists and other pharmacy staff with packaging and labelling pharmaceutical products

  • They could help in maintaining prescription records and inventories of medications and pharmaceutical products as well

• Sterile Processing Technicians

  • These individuals typically operate and maintain sterilisation equipment such as:

    • Instrument washers

    • Sonic sinks

    • Cart washers and,

    • Steam autoclaves

  • They use this equipment for cleaning and disinfecting trays, carts, linens, supplies, instrumentation and equipment for reuse in accordance with the prescribed standardised safety practices

  • In addition, they reassemble equipment and assemble packs of sterile supplies and instruments for delivering to various departments in the hospital

• Blood Donor Clinic Assistants

  • These professionals are responsible for:

    • Setting up and dismantling equipment

    • Preparing and maintaining the cleanliness of collection areas

    • Maintaining the supplies

    • Recording information on donors

    • Monitoring donors throughout the procedure

    • Assisting with post-donation care and donor reaction care as assigned under the supervision of a registered nurse and,

    • Labelling and processing donated blood

• Morgue Attendants

  • These individuals help pathologists at autopsies by laying out various surgical instruments

  • They also prepare solutions for preserving specimens

  • They transfer bodies from the morgue to the examining tables

  • They remove organs and tissue specimens as specified by the attending pathologies and place these specimens in preservative solutions and,

  • Clean and sew up the bodies for releasing to the funeral home

The Employment Requirements

The authorities require that:

• Orthopaedic technologists:

  • Complete their secondary school and,

  • Go through several months of on-the-job training or,

  • Attend a college orthopaedic technologist program and,

  • Register with the Canadian Society of Orthopaedic Technologists (as required by the employers)

• Medical therapy assistants complete the prescribed health care courses or short-term college programs relevant to their field such as recreational therapy programs (as required by the employers)

• Pharmacy aides complete their secondary school and complete several months of on-the-job training

• Sterile processing technicians complete their secondary school and a six to nine month sterile processing college program

• People engaged in other assisting occupations in this unit group complete secondary school and several months of on-the-job training

Classified Elsewhere

• Medical technologists and technicians i.e. National Occupational Classification (NOC) 0321 – Medical technologists and technicians (except dental health)

• Operating room technicians i.e. National Occupational Classification (NOC) 3233 – Licenced practical nurses

• Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment i.e. National Occupational Classification (NOC) 3237

• Pathologists’ assistants i.e. National Occupational Classification (NOC) 3212 – Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists’ assistants

• Pharmacy clerks i.e. National Occupational Classification (NOC) 6421 – Retail salespersons

• Pharmacy technicians i.e. National Occupational Classification (NOC) 3219 – Other medical technologists and technicians (except dental health)