Canadians have made significant strides in establishing gender equality in the workforce. With a history of remarkable milestones, such as Jenny Trout becoming the first female licensed doctor in 1875, and Jeanne Mathilde Sauvè becoming the nation’s first female governor general in 1984, women continue to mark their places in labour market.

According to Statistics Canada, the total population of employed people in Canada in 2011 was 52.5 percent male and 47.5 percent female. Although not quite a perfect 50/50 split, the overall gender difference in the Canadian labour market hovers closely over the equality mark.

That is not to say that gender inequalities do not exist in today’s workforce. According to a 2011 study released by Statistics Canada, it seems industries tend to employ more of one gender than of the other.  For example, of the people working within the Goods-and-Services sector, 71.1 percent are men and 21.9 percent are women. When we take a closer look, we notice that this gender gap persists in every industry within this sector:  

- Agriculture: 70.5 percent by men – 29.5 percent by women
- Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas:   81.8 percent by men – 18.2 percent by women
- Utilities: 75.2 percent by men – 24.8 percent by women
- Construction: 88.8 percent by men – 11.2 percent by women
- Manufacturing 71.2 percent by men – 28.8 percent by women

The division of genders can be quite alarming as we notice how men are much more likely than women to hold jobs within the Goods-and-Services sector. But there is more of a gender balance in the Services-Producing sector. As a whole, 45 percent of the sector is employed by males, and 55 percent by females.  This division exists in:

- Trade: 51.3 percent by men – 48.7 percent by women
- Finance, insurance, real estate and leasing: 43.6 percent by men – 56.4 percent by women
- Public administration: 48.8 percent by men – 51.2 percent by women

But this level of gender equality in the Services-Producing sector does not exist across all industries. The following are certain industries that show more apparent disparities:

- Transportation and warehousing: 76 percent by men – 24 percent by women
- Educational services: 34 percent by men – 66 percent by women
- Health care and social assistance:  18 percent by men – 82 percent by women

Of all of the industries within both sectors, the Construction industry and the Healthcare and social assistance industry persist with more-or-less the same levels of gender inequality, with the former being predominantly male and the latter female.

Although Construction and Healthcare are two very different industries, the lesser represented genders in both seem to face the same sort of hurdles. For one, women in Construction and men in Healthcare run into issues of unavailable equipment and facilities. For example, construction gear (boots, hard-hats, etc.) are typically fitted and sold to a male population. Male nurses, on the other hand, have been known to work in a healthcare environment where the only staff facility or changing room is a ladies restroom.

While these industries still have a long way ahead of them before reaching better gender equality, there is evidence of ongoing progress. For example, the nursing industry has been seeing a regular increase of male employees over the past five years, reaching its all-time height of 6 percent in 2011.

Needless to say, schools of nursing across the country are expecting more and more men to be applying to nursing programs. And while there won’t be as many men as women in nursing school anytime soon, it seems the industry is heading towards a level of equality we’ve never before seen. 

We all tend to separate the business world from the creativeworld, as though they exist completely apart from each other. In regards tochoosing a career, we are sometimes led to believe that we can only choose one or the other. But the realms of business and art are much closer to each other than one might think, and more often than not they overlap and function within a unified industry. 

If you are the savvy business type with a creative flare, you will be relieved to know that are plenty of career programs that will encourage you to put both of these qualities to use. Here are just a few examples of industries that balance business and creative skills: 
 
Advertising

People with careers in advertising know that the advertisingworld doesn’t strictly consist of
billboards and catchy slogans. Successfuladvertising relies on the constant exchange of ideas, strategy, and numbers. To give you a better sense of how a degree in advertising really gears towards reaching this
sort of balance, take a look at just some of the skills that graduates acquire while earning a degree in Advertising:

        - Strategic Planning    
        - Art Direction
        - Copywriting        
        - Layout Design & Typography              
        - Interactive Creative & Web Development
        - Broadcast 
        - Planning & Analytics
        - Print Planning & Buying
        - Quantitative Media Research
        - Advertising Law        
        - Creative Brainstorming

Marketing

Marketing careers are ones that really survive on an equal balance of business and art, or in other words, on strategy and creativity. From merchandising to macroeconomics, and accounting to advertising, Marketing programs really zone in on a wide range of specialities in order to best prepare you for an incredibly versatile profession. Marketing students can expect to sharpen their skills in the following areas: 

        - Accounting
        - Macroeconomics
        - Business 
        - Math of Finance   
        - Retail Merchandising    
        - Consumer Behaviour
        - Web Marketing       
        - Integrated Marketing Communications      
        - Intro to Advertising 
        - Direct Marketing & Sales Promotion
        - Personal Finance Management      
        - Business Law         
 

Public Relations 

Public Relations is an industry that is based on impeccable communication. The art of communication is very much rooted in the ability to adopt a variety of different approaches in order to appeal to a variety of audiences. With this skill comes business-savvy tactics, such as planning and executing media and promotional programs, as well as writing to orchestrating campaigns and events. Public Relations students can expect to develop skills in:

        - Writing 
        - Print Design & Application
        - Media Relations
        - Program Planning
        - Organizational Application
        - CommunicationsTechnologies
        - Portfolio & Career Development
        - Crisis Communications 
        - Campaign Presentation         
        - Special Events Planning & Management

Unlike the city of Atlantis, business programs that integrate creativity are not so hard to find.  Each of these programs offer a long list of business courses that may, at first glance, seem like they belong in the Arts department. 

So, you want a career in the healthcare industry, but you don’t want to be a nurse or a doctor. What other options do you have? Answer: Plenty. Here are just a few healthcare specialties that you can pursue:

Cardiovascular Technology 

Cardiology Technologists (CT) work closely with doctors in diagnosing patients with cardiac ailments. A vital part of a CT’s role is performing cardiac and/or vascular tests, administering and monitoring various cardiac tests, inserting catheters, pacemakers and other medical devices used to treat cardiac patients. 

Most colleges make it so that part of the Cardiovascular Technology program curriculum includes hands-on experience and training at hospitals and clinics. This will allow students to get a realistic
view of what a career in Cardiovascular Technology involves, and will also give them the opportunity to see which healthcare environment they would best like to work in.


Diagnostic Cardiac Sonography 

A sonographer is a healthcare professional who assists physicians in the diagnosis process by taking internal images of patients. Taking these images can be quite invasive, and can make patients feel very uncomfortable, so sonographers are expected to exercise a lot of patience and compassion. 

In addition to taking images, sonographers may also be required to consult and update a patient’s medical history file, aswell as analyze technical data in order to be able to suggest procedures based on diagnostic data. 


Medical Radiation

A Medical Radiation technologist (MRT, or a Radiologic technologist) assists in using radiant energy techniques in order to diagnose and treat patients. When we think radiation, we typically think of cancer treatment. An MRT may spend most of their career assisting with the treatment of cancer patients. But, there are Radiologic specialities that do not only focus on cancer treatment, including radiography , fluoroscopy , sonography and computed tomography. 


Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant

An OTA will work directly with patients who are suffering from a lack of motor functions and reasoning. The severity of a patients’ conditions can vary, meaning OTA’s can expect to work with a range of motor disabilities, including patients who have lost the ability to walk or speak, or even to carry out everyday tasks, like making a pot of coffee or taking a shower.  
 

Personal Support Worker 

A PSW plays a vital role in the healthcare system, and is responsible to perform a variety of extremely necessary tasks, including bathing and dressing patients with limited mobility; making and changing patient beds; maintaining a tidy environment for the patient, being mindful of and reporting any unusual or alarming behaviour by the
patient. PSWs have the opportunity to work in a variety of healthcare settings, including hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, or private home care. 


Pharmacy Technician 

The principal role of a pharmacy technician is to assist pharmacists in preparing and administering pharmaceutical
medication. PT’s are also expected to know and be able to advise on the regulations and methodologies regarding
prescriptions.

It may seem as though a pharmacy professional is responsible to know and understand only those issues pertaining to prescription drugs. However, pharmacy technicians are also required to know the ins and outs of alternative or all-natural medication. This better equips them to be able to suggest or advise a client on what type of medication would be best for them to use. 

It is obvious that nurses and doctors are not the only professionals who receive healthcare training. Most Health and Technology colleges offer programs that complement health courses with hands-on training in order to better prepare students for the job in question. 
 


 

Nurses everywhere will attest to how rewarding their career is. But there is no denying
that working as a nurse involves a lot of factors that can make the profession
as a whole seem less than desirable to go into.
 
For one, hospitals seem to be perpetually understaffed, meaning nurses will at times
need to work long hours and take on extra shifts. Also, nurses are of course in
constant, direct contact with sick patients, some of who are both physically and
emotionally drained from the onslaught of their illnesses, and not to mention
with the patients’ families, who are also under great emotional strain. Even if
nurses are not experiencing illness first-hand, they are in an environment that
is flooded with high levels of emotional duress.
 
However, despite these factors, hundreds of thousands of people continue to devote
themselves to being a nurse. This leads us to believe that there are indeed
positive factors about being a nurse. But what could they be? 
 
Here are just a few reasons why hundreds of thousands of people across the country
have decided to devote themselves to being a nurse.
 
Compassion

The decision to become a nurse will necessarily involve a keen sense of compassion.
Administering medication and ensuring protocol is adhered to are part of a
nurse’s duties. But along with that, and perhaps less emphasized, is the actual
interactions nurses have with patients and their families. Despite the stressful
environment, nurses manage to maintain a strong sense of compassion, leading
them to become a factor of comfort in the patient’s healing process. Nurses are
not therapists, nor are they a hospital’s Mother Goose, but they do provide
levels of emotional support that really do affect the coping levels of those involved. 

 
Constant Evolution

Depending on the type of work environment a nurse decides to work in (hospital, clinic,
school, travelling location), he or she might work in various departments or
wards throughout their career. In hospitals, for example, it is not uncommon for
nurse to work in several different units (Cardiovascular, ER, Intensive Care,
etc.) This level of professional mobility allows nurses the opportunity to
constantly be learning new aspects of the job. Ultimately, each unit transfer
provides another challenge, and another opportunity for a nurse to learn more
and grow as a professional, which is, I think, something we all hope for in a
career.  

 
Camaraderie

Nurses work best when they function as a team, which relies heavily on high levels of
communication, trust, and synergy. A typical day for a nurse can be quite
stressful, and having a reliable team to depend on makes a world of a
difference. This is not to say that other professions do not operate on
teamwork, but nursing is most definitely one that functions on several levels of
collaboration. There is teamwork with fellow nurses, doctors, patients and even
family members. Nurses become a vital element in everyone’s hospital experience.
Becoming such a crucial part of everyone’s daily experience really reaffirms how
important nurses are. 

Any nursing school will certainly make it clear to all the students enrolled in a nursing program
that what they can expect is a work environment is both stressful and demanding.
Part of what makes students stand by their choice is knowing that without nurses
the healthcare system would crumble, and that there are factors of the job that
make it all worth it. With this in mind, they go from a school of nursing
to a career that is as fulfilling as it is challenging.

Pursuing a career as a pharmacy technician involves more than just filling bottles behind the counter. Much like how doctors rely on their team of nurses, pharmacists look to their technicians for support and to help them ensure that daily responsibilities are carried out properly and smoothly.

Taking on the role of a technician demands vast knowledge of pharmaceutical practices and the industry at large. Typical responsibilities of pharmacy technicians include:

• Assisting pharmacists in preparation and distribution of pharmaceuticals in both public and private practices.
• Advising on the regulations and methodologies regarding prescriptions.
• Advising on the many uses and classes of available drugs and medical devices.

With these responsibilities in mind, it becomes clear that a pharmacy technician must undergo extensive training before launching his or her career. Many schools offer the necessary programs needed to become a certified pharmacy technician. The bulk of such programs will include courses on industry-specific essentials, including calculations, legislation, retailing, and equipment and devices.

While much of such programs focus on healthcare-specific topics and pharmacy fundamentals, the program will also consist of courses that zone in on topics that are not as obviously related to the field. For starters, the program will likely include courses on community engagement and active citizenship. The purpose of implementing these types of courses in the curriculum is to encourage future technicians to be actively involved in community matters and to stay up-to-date with social issues that affect their local communities.

This emphasis on community involvement may be surprising at first, but it is vital that pharmacy professionals develop the proper skills in order to build a strong rapport with their clientele. Like any other member of the healthcare industry, pharmacy technicians play a crucial role in maintaining an open dialogue between healthcare professionals and the public. With so many advancements happening in the prescription and non-prescription drug industries, it is important for pharmacists to be at the forefront of any new developments that their clients should be aware of.

Another unassuming class that health science colleges will likely include in the pharmacy techniciancurriculum is a course on natural health products (i.e., herbal medicine). Studying alternative medicine may seem counter-intuitive at first, seeing as how it is in direct opposition to the pharmaceutical industry. However, it is crucial that pharmacy professionals understand all types of healthcare treatments in order to be confident in their abilities to suggest (or discourage) particular prescription drugs to their clients. Being well-versed in all realms of medicinal products, both prescription and natural, will ensure that a pharmacy professional knows the options that are out there for people to choose from. 

With courses on community involvement and alternative medicine, it is clear that schools of health scienceare offering well-rounded professional training for future pharmacy technicians. 

Many people think that a Nursing degree can only lead to a career as a nurse practitioner. However, earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) can lead to many different careers within the healthcare industry.

Educators

After a number of years practicing direct patient care, some nurses will decide to dedicate much of their time to educating colleagues, students, families and the general community.  Nurse educators take their careers in many different directions. Some choose to teach in schools, while others go from clinic to clinic to conduct information sessions to various members of the community. There are also those who work directly in hospitals and educate other healthcare professionals (i.e., doctors, patient attendants and administrators)  and registered patients on various topics, including regulated practices and recent advancements within the industry.

Research

Nurse researchers make vital contributions to the advancement of medical science. Most begin their careers as research assistants or aids, and in time develop enough expertise to lead their own research projects. Most nurse researchers earn a BScN and move on to earn a graduate degree specific to their area of interest.

Entrepreneurs/Managers

Earning a BScN can also open the gateway to starting your own healthcare centre or nursing care business. Such businesses can include wellness centres, recovery centres, or even private care services. Or, if you’re not quite ready to open up your own business just yet, a BScN also prepares you for managerial roles within the nursing industry in general.

Registered Nurse

Lastly, the most obvious career that a school of will lead to is that of a registered nurse (RN). RNs are on the frontline of healthcare. The chief responsibility of every RN is to provide the best patient care possible, which requires exceptional execution of champion practices, proper bedside manners and, most importantly, an incredible amount of patience.

Nurses work in very stressful environments, and are often caught in the midst of budget cuts, under-staffed wards, and hallways that are overflowing with sick patients. What distinguishes nurses from so many other healthcare professionals is their ability to handle these situations with a level of calmness that is so vital.

So, if you’re thinking about applying to a nursing program, know that your degree can lead you into a variety of careers.  Most degree programs will take approximately four years to complete. Most nursing schools will also offer the nursing diploma program, which typically takes two years to complete, but this can vary depending on the school of nursing and whether you are a part-time or full-time student.  Keep in mind, however, that a diploma will not lead you into the careers listed above. Most people who receive a diploma from a school of nursing move on to become registered practical nurse, whose jobs are similar to that of an RN, but with less responsibilities and authority.

Being a nurse is likely one of the most difficult but also most rewarding careers anyone can pursue. Whether working directly with patients or conducting research in a lab, nursing professionals are the backbone of any hospital or healthcare centre, and their expertise plays a crucial role in treating patients and educating the community.