Only in nursery rhymes can you put a character like Humpty Dumpty together again. Possibilities profiles seven health careers that prove that keeping a body in one piece is not child's play.

1. Optician: A Career With Vision
"The better to see you with, my dear."
Little Red Riding Hood
If making people both see and look better appeals to you, consider a career as an optician. What's important in this career are interpersonal and math skills as well as technical precision, and a little bit of fashion sense doesn't hurt when it comes time to order eyeglass frames.

When not looking at eyeware catalogues, opticians dispense eyeglasses, contact lenses, low vision aids and prosthetic lenses. Opticians also measure clients' eyes, including the distance between the centres of the pupils and between the eye surface and the lens. (This is where the math skills come in.) Other duties include assembling eyeglasses and adjusting them to fit clients. In addition, opticians prepare work orders for ophthalmic laboratory technicians who grind and insert lenses into a frame.

Opticians need to be detail-oriented and have manual dexterity and a good sense of spatial relationships. They also need sharp eyesight to focus light and lines in equipment such as lensometers.

In Toronto, Seneca College offers a full-time two-year or part-time four-year Opticianry Diploma Program. After graduating, candidates must pass a registration examination before they can register with the College of Opticians of Ontario and use the title Registered Optician.

For More Information:

• Alberta Occupational Profiles: Optician Profile
• Opticians Association of Canada: What is an Optician
• Essential Skills: Opticians

2. Hearing Aid Specialist: A Career Path Worth Listening To
"The better to hear you with, my child."
Little Red Riding Hood
According to the Job Profiles article on hearing aid specialists, one in 10 people has some hearing loss. That's valuable news for those planning a career in this field.

In this job you use computers and technical equipment to test clients' hearing loss and to diagnose possible illness. You also take ear impressions, which are used in the manufacture of hearing aids, and you fit and adjust hearing aids and program and service them. Finally, you're responsible for making minor repairs on hearing equipment.

You need good hand-eye co-ordination and should enjoy compiling, recording and analyzing test results. In addition to technical skills, you need to have good interpersonal skills. Most hearing aid practitioners work in privately owned clinics, offices or retail businesses.

In Toronto, George Brown College offers a three-year Hearing Instrument Specialist Program.

For More Information:

• Alberta Occupational Profiles: Hearing Aid Practitioner Profile
• Information for Foreign-Trained Hearing Aid Consultants and Audioprosthesists

3. Dental Technologist: A Career That Bridges the Gaps
"All the better to eat you with!"
Little Red Riding Hood
For those who are missing teeth, mealtime can mean baby food or puréed dinners. That's when a dental technologist can come in handy. Dental technologists in Ontario are regulated health care professionals who design, construct, repair and alter dental prosthetic, restorative and orthodontic devices, such as dentures and crowns.

This is a field for perfectionists. The work requires a lot of precision; for instance, according to the U.S.Bureau of Labour Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook, you have to use small hand instruments to build and shape a wax tooth or teeth model. As well, Alberta Occupational Profiles points out that a good dental technologist has artistic ability in addition to an aptitude for engineering and fine mechanical work, manual dexterity and the ability to see in 3D.

Dental technologists generally work in dental labs. They may also find work in dentists' offices or as sales representatives with dental supply companies. According to the Working in Canada profile, over the period 2009 to 2018, there will be slightly more projected job openings in this field than applicants.

In Toronto, George Brown College offers a three-year Dental Technology Program. The college also offers programs in dental assisting, dental hygiene, and denturism.

For More Information:

• College of Dental Technologists of Ontario: Career Information
• Career Map for Internationally Trained Dental Technologists

4. Cardiology Technologist: Helping Hearts Keep to the Beat
"If I only had a heart."
The Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz
The heart is a tender area for many of us, but for those who work as healthy heart technologists, technical prowess, not passion, is a more important asset.

In this job you operate electronic equipment such as electrocardiograms and exercise tolerance tests to record cardiac activity. You are also responsible for recording devices such as event/loop recorders, devices worn by people at home that monitor heart activity, and Holter monitors. As well, you have to prepare testing information for cardiologists and reprogram pacemakers.

According to Alberta Occupational Profiles, the work is physically demanding -- cardiology technologists are on their feet most of the time and may have to help lift and move patients who cannot move on their own. Finally, this is a life-and-death type of job -- there may be times when you have to resuscitate a patient and you must always be on guard to recognize life-threatening heartbeats. To get on the beat, look at the detailed job duties from the CSCT occupational analysis (PDF) on the Canadian Society of Cardiology Technologists website.

In Toronto, the privately run Everest College offers a Cardiology Technologist Program while Mohawk College in Hamilton offers a two-year diploma in Cardiovascular Technology. The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) also delivers an online distance diploma program.

5. Respiratory Therapist: Putting the Huff Back Into People
"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in."
The Three Little Pigs
For anyone with asthma or bronchitis just going up the stairs might mean a whole lot of huffing and puffing. Luckily, respiratory therapists can help people with breathing difficulties manage their condition. In an air-polluted city like Toronto the demand is strong for these professionals, who use medications, therapies and tests to help diagnose, treat and prevent lung diseases.

Some of the duties of a respiratory therapist are:

• Conducting diagnostic tests such as lung capacity assessments, oxygenation studies and asthma tests
• Giving respiratory treatments, such as oxygen or medications
• Performing emergency CPR and manual ventilation
• Providing support to mothers and newborns in high-risk deliveries
• Teaching people how to manage asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, cystic fibrosis and other lung diseases

In this field you've got to be able to work well under intense pressure and act decisively in a crisis. As if this weren't enough, you need communication, and teamwork skills as well as sensitivity and a desire to help people. Good hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills are needed if your duties include inserting airways and catheters into patients.

In Toronto, the Michener Institute of Applied Health provides a Respiratory Therapy Advanced Diploma Program. (There are also some community college programs outside of the city.) To work in Ontario, you must be registered with the College of Respiratory Therapists of Ontario.

For More Information:

• Alberta Occupational Profiles: Respiratory Therapists Profile
• Ontario Job Futures: Respiratory Therapists, Clinical Perfusionists and Cardio-Pulmonary Technologists (PDF)

6. Radiological Technologist: A See-Through Career
"The daylight shone through them in all sorts of singular colours."
The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen
Radiological technologists (also known as medical radiation technologists) perform diagnostic procedures in many parts of the body. Some technologists x-ray the chest, abdomen, bones and joints while mammographers specialize in screening women for breast cancer. (They do this by positioning the breast in a mammography unit that produces low-dose X-rays resulting in an image that can show changes in breast tissue.) Some technologists specialize in angiography, doing procedures that examine a person's heart, blood vessels and blood flow. Others do computerized tomography (CT) scans, detailed cross-sectional images of the body.

In addition to operating equipment, radiological technologists must explain the procedure to patients, provide emotional support, and protect patients from radiation. They also assess images to ensure their quality before sending them to the radiologist (the doctor who reads the image and gives a report).

Ontario Job Futures (PDF) points out that increases in health problems associated with an aging population and innovations in the use of nuclear medicine to diagnose illnesses should increase the demand for workers in this occupation. According to the 2009 Salary Scale Analysis (PDF), put out by the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT), hourly wages in Ontario ranged from about $26 to $42, depending on position and seniority.

In Toronto, The Michener Institute of Applied Health offers a three-year Radiological Technology Degree and Advanced Diploma Program. In Hamilton, Mohawk College and McMaster University deliver a collaborative college-university program. Fanshawe College in London, Ontario offers a three-year diploma program in Medical Radiation Technology. Registration with the College of Medical Radiation Technologists of Ontario (CMRTO) is required to practice as a radiological technologist in Ontario.

For More Information:

• Career Map for Internationally Trained Medical Radiation Technologists (PDF)

7. Orthotics & Prosthetic Technician: Going Out on a Limb
"[T]ake up piece by piece, limb by limb, and place them together, as they were in life."
The Twelve-Headed Griffin (Romanian fairy tale)
Prosthetic/orthotic technicians make and repair orthotic/prosthetic devices from plaster casts and assessment forms. (Orthotic devices, such as knee braces or arch supports, are applied externally to the body: prosthetics are artificial extensions that replace a missing body part, such as an arm.)

According to Alberta Occupational Profiles, prosthetic/orthotic technicians should enjoy:

• Working with tools and machinery at tasks requiring precision
• Analyzing measurements and building devices
• Having clear guidelines for their work

For a more detailed look at these professions check out the U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook.

In this field you need manual dexterity as well as the ability to pay attention to details. These are physical jobs that involve standing at workbenches and using machines such as grinders, sanders, lathes, welding equipment and sewing machines. Prosthetic/orthotic technicians work with thermoplastic and thermosetting materials, metal alloys and leather. They are employed in laboratories, private clinics, hospitals and rehabilitation centres.

In Ontario, George Brown College offers an Orthotic/Prosthetic Technician Program. Graduates are eligible to write national registration exams after working in the profession for two years under the supervision of a certified practitioner.