Are you a healthcare professional? if so, Canada needs you. Recently, there’s been a growing demand for healthcare workers in Canada, as the country faces a shortage mainly due to older healthcare workers retiring. So, if you’re in the healthcare field and are interested in working in Canada, your time is now! Let’s dive into the top healthcare jobs in Canada for 2022.
Top 5 Healthcare Jobs in Canada
1. Registered nurse
A registered nurse is a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program and met the requirements outlined by a country or government authorized licensing body to obtain a nursing license.
Duties of a registered nurse include the following:
- Assessing patients and caring for them in a hospital setting, rehabilitation center, or privately in homes
- Administer medications prescribed by physicians
- Assist with surgeries
- Offer advice
The average salary for a registered nurse in Canada is $70,218 per year. Entry-level positions start at $56,688 per year, while most experienced nurses earn up to $80,383 per year.
2. Medical administrative assistant
The role of a medical administrative assistant is to keep a medical office, clinic, or other similar setting running smoothly so that doctors, nurses, and others can help patients and ensure that their needs are met.
The duties of an administrative assistant include the following:
- Answering the phone
- Scheduling appointments
- Ordering medical supplies
- Managing, updating, and filing patient records
- Processing insurance forms and various other duties
The average salary for a medical administrative assistant in Canada is $43,629 per year. Entry-level positions start at $34,515 per year, while most experienced workers earn around $52,650 per year.
3. Physiotherapist
Physiotherapists are also in demand in Canada. Duties of a physiotherapist include but are not limited to the following:
- working with patients with a variety of conditions, sometimes over a period of weeks or months
- diagnosing, assessing, and treating problems
- encouraging exercise and movement
- advising patients on leading a healthy lifestyle
Physiotherapists in Canada earn an average of $78,000 per year. Entry-level positions start at $69,926 per year, while most experienced workers earn up to $92,598.
4. Occupational therapist
Occupational therapists treat injured, ill, or disabled patients through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. They help these patients develop, recover, improve, as well as maintain the skills needed for daily living and working.
Their duties include but are not limited to the following:
- Review patients’ medical history, ask the patients questions, and observe them doing tasks.
- Evaluate a patient’s condition and needs
- Develop a treatment plan for patients
- Help people with various disabilities perform different tasks, such as teaching a stroke victim how to get dressed, for example.
Occupational therapists in Canada earn an average yearly salary of $74,967. Entry-level workers start at $68,919 per year, while most experienced therapists earn up to $85,793 per year.
5. Optical Dispensing Technician
Last but not least, among the top healthcare jobs in Canada are optical dispensers. Optical dispensers, or dispensing opticians, work as part of an eye care team alongside optometrists or ophthalmologists (who issue the optical prescription) and optical mechanics (who make the visual aid or optical appliance such as glasses).
Duties include the following:
- Provide spectacles or contact lenses to clients
- Interpret optical prescriptions
The average salary for an Optical Dispensing Technician in Canada is $49,703 per year. Entry-level workers start at $37,063 yearly, while most experienced workers earn up to $60,222 a year.
Visit this page to learn how to immigrate to Canada as a healthcare worker.
Get Your Canadian Work Permit
If you wish to work in Canada as a healthcare professional, apart from applying for a job in Canada, you’ll need a Canadian work permit. To make immigration easier, the Canadian government has developed several immigration and work permit programs you can apply through.
There are over 80 immigration programs available, and two of them would be a great fit if you want to work in one of the top healthcare jobs in Canada.
The Federal Skilled Worker Program
The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) is part of the Express Entry system, which is a popular immigration option because of its fast processing time of as little as six months. The Federal Skilled Worker Program is geared toward people who have the qualifications, skills, or work experience to contribute to the Canadian economy.
The FSWP is an excellent option for you if you wish to work in Canada as a healthcare professional because it’s designed for people with work experience listed as skill type A in the National Occupation Classification (NOC), which includes occupations in the healthcare field.
To be eligible to apply for the FSWP, you need to check first that you meet the requirements.
Post Graduation Work Permit Program
The Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP) is designed to help foreign students who have completed a qualification from a Canadian Designated Learning Institution (DLI). This program allows international graduates in Canada to work full-time, part-time, or be self-employed for any employer anywhere in the country.
If you’re thinking of applying for your Canadian work permit, there are a number of useful resources and services out there, such as mdccanada.ca, that seek to make the visa application process easier by providing step-by-step assistance. Consider using services such as this to increase your chances of seizing one of the great healthcare jobs in Canada.
