NOC 31303: Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
What physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals do
Physician assistants and midwives provide primary health care and treatment in conjunction with physicians and in collaboration with other health professionals. Physician assistants provide a range of health services to patients delivering preventive and continuous care toward the management of patients' health. Midwives provide full-course care to women and their babies during the pre- and post-natal period. This unit group also includes professionals such as genetic counsellors, orthoptists and pathologists' assistants, who work in collaboration with primary health occupations. Genetic counsellors assess individual or family risk of genetic conditions, and provide information to individuals, families and healthcare providers to promote informed choice. Orthoptists diagnose and treat binocular disorders. Pathologists' assistants assist at autopsies and examinations of surgical specimens, or perform autopsies under a pathologist's supervision. Physician assistants usually work under physicians in private practice, including group or team practices, hospitals and clinics. Midwives are employed in hospitals, clinics, birthing centres or in private practice. Genetic counsellors usually work in private practice, hospitals, clinics and research institutes. Orthoptists work under an ophthalmologist, particularly in private practices or clinics. Pathologists' assistants are usually employed in hospitals and universities.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Physician assistants
- Conduct patient interviews, physical assessments and take medical histories
- Perform or order diagnostic tests and interpret results
- In consultation with a supervising physician, formulate and implement treatment plans and monitor patients' progress
- Perform and assist in minor surgery
- Provide health maintenance education
- May participate in research activities
- May prescribe from a limited list of medications.
- Midwives
- Provide primary, full-course, care to women and their babies during pregnancy, such as physical examinations, screening and diagnostic tests to monitor the health of mother and baby and make referrals to medical specialists as required
- Manage labour and spontaneous normal deliveries
- Care for, assess and monitor the health of newborns and refer infants to appropriate medical services as required
- Provide advice and guidance regarding care for newborns and young infants.
- Genetic counsellors
- Provide information and support to families affected by or at risk of a genetic disorder
- Gather and analyze family history and inheritance patterns, calculate risks of recurrence, and provide information about genetic testing and related procedures
- Develop, implement or coordinate action plans and refer individuals and families to other health professionals
- Design and conduct genetics training programs for other healthcare professionals or the general public
- May conduct research in the field of medical genetics and genetic counselling.
- Orthoptists
- Work alongside ophthalmologists to diagnose and treat eye disorders by performing specialized eye tests to measure and assess defective binocular vision or abnormal eye movement in patients
- Prescribe treatment such as eye exercises or patching regimens.
- Pathologists' assistants
- Prepare for autopsies by obtaining patients' medical records and arranging for radiographic examinations
- Prepare, assist with or perform autopsies and surgical specimen examinations under pathologists' supervision
- Assist with preparation of provisional autopsy report
- Dissect, examine, weigh, photograph and X-ray organs and specimens, collect tissue samples for chemical analysis and record findings
- Discard specimens according to established safety procedures
- Clean and maintain instruments, equipment and supplies
- Develop and maintain processes for laboratory quality control
- May prepare bodies for release to funeral homes following completion of autopsies
- May supervise and train junior resident pathologists and morgue attendants.
Job titles under NOC 31303
10 job titles are classified here, including genetic counsellor, midwife, orthoptist.
- chief orthoptist
- clinical orthoptist
- genetic counsellor
- licensed midwife
- midwife
- orthoptist
- pathologists' assistant
- pathology assistant
- physician assistant
- registered midwife (RM)
Employment requirements
- Physician assistants
- Physician assistants require completion of a university degree in a physician assistant program.
- Physician assistants require registration with a regulatory body in Manitoba and New Brunswick.
- Midwives
- Midwives require completion of an undergraduate university degree program in midwifery or its equivalent and a period of supervised practical training.
- Registration with a regulatory body is required for midwives in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
- Genetic counsellors
- Genetic counsellors usually require a master's degree in genetic counselling and the certification with the Canadian Association of Genetic Counsellors (CAGC).
- Orthoptists
- A bachelor's degree and completion of a two-year accredited training program in orthoptics are required.
- Certification with the Canadian Orthoptic Council is required.
- Continuing education is required for recertification with the Canadian Orthoptic Council.
- Pathologists' assistants
- Pathologists' assistants usually require completion of a master's degree in a pathologists' assistant program.
- Certification by the Canadian Certification Council of Pathologists' Assistants, the American Society for Clinical Pathology - Board of Certification, or Pathologists' Assistant Certification Examination is usually required by employers.
- Membership in the national association, Canadian Association of Pathologists, is voluntary, but may be required by some employers.
Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $24.09/hr | $46.81/hr | $60.26/hr |
Toronto ON | $27.24/hr | $42.84/hr | $52.74/hr |
Montréal QC | $29.27/hr | $44.58/hr | $60.65/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $30.28/hr | $43.84/hr | $52.60/hr |
Calgary AB | $25.78/hr | $37.94/hr | $49.22/hr |
Edmonton AB | $28.04/hr | $42.16/hr | $52.17/hr |
Ottawa ON | $32.49/hr | $43.95/hr | $53.74/hr |
Winnipeg MB | $34.06/hr | $48.56/hr | $58.12/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $29.43/hr | $43.98/hr | $66.16/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $26.28/hr | $43.68/hr | $52.00/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $29.02/hr | $43.51/hr | $52.11/hr |
London ON | $29.02/hr | $44.03/hr | $51.61/hr |
Halifax NS | $35.75/hr | $46.65/hr | $56.39/hr |
Victoria Vancouver Island and Coast region, BC | $29.37/hr | $44.98/hr | $53.74/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Nova Scotia | $34.24/hr | $46.11/hr | $58.81/hr |
New Brunswick | $32.18/hr | $49.34/hr | $55.35/hr |
Quebec | $29.43/hr | $43.98/hr | $66.16/hr |
Ontario | $24.47/hr | $43.93/hr | $56.37/hr |
Manitoba | $35.49/hr | $49.43/hr | $63.03/hr |
Saskatchewan | $34.54/hr | $43.15/hr | $49.78/hr |
Alberta | $24.97/hr | $38.28/hr | $53.71/hr |
British Columbia | $30.77/hr | $44.20/hr | $56.00/hr |
Using NOC 31303 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 10 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- General practitioners and family physicians (NOC 31102)
- Managers in health care (NOC 30010)
- Nurse practitioners (NOC 31302)
- Other practitioners of natural healing (NOC 32209)
- Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating (NOC 31209)
- Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (NOC 31301)
- Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine (NOC 31100)
- Specialists in surgery (NOC 31101)
- Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists (NOC 32200)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals?
Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals are NOC 2021 unit group 31303. Example job titles in this group include genetic counsellor, midwife, orthoptist, pathology assistant.
What TEER is NOC 31303?
NOC 31303 is TEER 1 (University degree). Usually requires a university degree (bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate), or experience from a related TEER 2 occupation. TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 work counts as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $46.81/hr, about $91,000 a year full-time, with a range of $24.09/hr to $60.26/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.