NOC 3413 applies to Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates who assist nurses, hospital staff and physicians in the basic care of patients. Such workers are usually employed in Canadian hospitals, nursing homes, assisted care facilities and other healthcare establishments.
The category is not to be confused with licensed practical nurses (NOC 3233) and personal care attendants (NOC 4412), who have separate NOC designations.
Professional responsibilities
Professionals under the NOC 3413 are entrusted with providing basic patient care and assisting hospital staff in various capacities such as bathing, dressing, grooming, feeding and assisting patients. They are trained to operate and maintain medical equipment and can aid staff in taking vitals or collecting specimens from patients.
New codes in the updated NOC 2021
Under the updated NOC 2021, Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates fall under the TEER 3 category with a new 5-digit NOC code- 33102.
The TEER 3 denotes professions that usually require either a college diploma, apprenticeship training of up to 2 years or more than 6 months of on-the-job training.
Demand for NOC 3413 professionals
Canada’s Job Bank expects over 191,00 new job openings for Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates between 2022-2031, with only 170,100 new job seekers available through immigration, school leavers and other means.
Canadian healthcare currently has over 500,000 workers over 55 and retiring within the next decade. This increases the pressure on the government to find other sources to address the impending labour shortage.
The increased demand and insufficient supply mean that Nurse aides and orderlies have Good to Very Good prospects in most Canadian provinces.
Moving to Canada as a Nurse aide, orderly or patient service associate
The Federal Express Entry program and the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) are the two main pathways for NOC 3414 category professionals immigrating to Canada.
The IRCC already announced that Express Entry draws in the first quarter of 2023 will target more healthcare workers depending on the needs of provinces.
To qualify for Express Entry, candidates must meet the requirements of either the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program or the Canadian Experience Class. Once a profile is submitted, the candidate will be placed in an Express Entry pool along with other candidates and selected if their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score passes the minimum cut-offs for the draw.
Candidates can also apply to the PNP programs based on the province’s current needs. Some PNP programs for Nurse aides, Orderlies and Patient service associates are given below:
- British Columbia PNP– the NOC 33102/ 3413 is one of the priority occupations listed under the provinces Care Economy
- Alberta Advantage Immigration Program- NOC 33102/ 3413 workers can apply under the Alberta Opportunity Stream
- Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program
- Manitoba PNP
- Nova Scotia- NOC 33102/ 3413 workers can apply under the Occupations in Demand stream if they have a job offer from a Nova Scotia employer.
- New Brunswick Skilled Worker stream– NOC 33102/ 3413 workers can get an additional 10 points in their eligibility score as healthcare falls under the priority sector.
- Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program- NOC 33102/ 3413 falls under the International Skilled Worker Hard-to-fill Skills Pilot
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Prince Edward Island PNP
- Northwest Territories Nominee Program
- Yukon Nominee Program
Final word
Canada’s immigration programs have prioritized healthcare professionals for a while now. The move stems from the critical labour shortages faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Canada has already eased some barriers to foreign credential recognition and increased the mobility for healthcare workers to attract more internationally educated health professionals.
In encouraging news, data from the 2016 census showed that immigrants comprised 1 in 4 of every healthcare sector worker in Canada, including 35% of all nurse aides and related occupations.
