PEI Health Careers Directory

Last spring the Health Sector Council released the PEI Health Careers Directory, outlining 62 health occupations practiced on the Island. The booklet scratches the surface really; there are so many options for people interested in pursuing a career in health.

Each career gets a brief write-up including a job description, salary range, high school preparation and post-secondary requirements, and a list of schools offering programs leading to a job in the career profiled. So, for example, the entry for Medical Laboratory Technologist looks like this:

Health Profession: Medical Laboratory Technologist

Job Description: Medical Laboratory Technologists perform sophisticated laboratory tests that help diagnose and treat disease

Approximate Salary: $40,000 - $57,500

High School Preparation: Academic high school diploma with an emphasis on biology, chemistry, computer science and math

Academic Requirements: Post-secondary studies in medical laboratory science – usually a 2- or 3-year program at the community college level

Schools in Atlantic Canada: College of the North Atlantic, NL (3-year program); New Brunswick Community College Saint John Campus, NB (2.5-year program)

Each of the careers fits into a loosely defined category – Cancer Care, Clinical Laboratory Science, Dentistry, Diagnostic Imaging, Health Information and Communication, the Medical Profession, Mental Health, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health, Special Technologies and Services, Therapy and Vision Care. The categories make it easy to look up careers that you might be interested in. If you’re curious about nursing, for example, open up the section on Nursing and you’ll see that there are seven nursing-oriented jobs listed. If you enjoy science and lab work, check out Diagnostic Imaging or Clinical Laboratory Science for jobs that lean in that direction, like medical laboratory technologist.

Check out the booklet; let me know what you think. We have hardcopies at the office for anyone interested (our contact info is on the PEIHSC website). Also, we’ll probably revise the booklet in the future, so if you work in any of the occupations listed and notice something that should be changed or updated (like the salary ranges) please get in touch with me.

Cheers,

Mark