Occupational Profiles

Orthopedic technologists perform some or all of the following duties:

• 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 perform some or all of the following duties:

• 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 perform some or all of the following duties:

• 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 perform some or all of the following duties:

• 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 perform some or all of the following duties:

• 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 perform some or all of the following duties:

• 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 perform some or all of the following duties:

• 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.

• 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.