Meet three women who have embarked on careers in the medical/health industry. This program profiles Karine Fortin, a plant manager for a pharmaceutical company; Sandra Swanson, a biomedical technologist; and Ann Perreault, an orthotics and prosthetics technician. Remarks from
co-workers and supervisors provide additional layers to the descriptions of each job. View a preview video clip and read below for descriptions of each segment, or scroll to the bottom to order!
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Karine Fortin is a plant manager for a
pharmaceutical company. Her role is to
ensure that products are being produced
within specifications. The equipment used
to make the products is highly technical
and very sensitive. Product and equipment
performance is tested regularly. Karine
also plans and manages any factory
expansions.
Karine skipped a few grades and graduated from
high school at age 15. She wanted to enter the
military to be a pilot and get an engineering
degree, but was too young. A year later, she
went to a technical school that specialized in
Engineering. Getting high marks in math and
physics was a breeze, because she enjoyed the
classes.
Karine says that she generally always gets a reaction when she tells people she
is an engineer. They seem to be surprised that women are capable of the job.
At her first job interview the male interviewer stunned her when he asked if she was afraid to break a nail on the job! As part of Karine's job, she supervises
3 fulltime techs and 2 part time techs. Karine is currently making twice as much
as when she started five years ago.
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Sandra got into this field with the advice of
a close family friend. She gave him a
course list from a technical school. He went
through it and selected Biomedical
Engineering as a field with good pay and a
great future. Good call.
Sandra’s advice to women considering this
field is to take a year of general sciences first. Visit
some hospitals and get a sense of how you would
feel about working in that environment.
Being a biomedical technician is a really interesting
combination of science and high-tech hardware.
There are a lot of opportunities to build on in this
career.
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Ann Perreault is an orthotics and
prosthetics technician. She is in charge of
evaluating and measuring patients. She is
also responsible for making and fitting
braces. The company that she is currently
with offers services in making and
supplying braces and prostheses.
Ann knew she wanted to work in the medical field, but didn't want to be a nurse
or a doctor. Then she found out that a three-year program was offered with a
technical diploma in orthotics and prosthetics.
For Ann, the most rewarding part of her job is
being able to help people and improve their quality
of life. In the future, she sees herself doing the
same job, but perhaps with an emphasis in clinical
participation. Her options could include moving into
management or operating her own lab. She could
also go into other medical work such as
physiotherapy, but that would also require more
schooling.
Click the image to the left
for a preview video clip!
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Developed in 2006 in Canada, the Career Options for Women series is an
outstanding resource for schools wanting to attract women and girls to Science,
Technology and Trades!
Please Note: These videos are an excellent depiction of women in these jobs
and are interspersed with Canadian salary and labor statistics, which are
similar to the numbers in the United States. As there is a no-return policy on
these publications, please make sure to look at the preview video clip for the
DVD(s) you are ordering.
Pricing - Career Options for Women: Emerging Technologies DVDs
