To say that I’ve been enjoying the Winter Olympics in Vancouver is an understatement. While I certainly don’t have the expertise of the television commentators, most of whom have competed in these very same events, I do feel confident in being able to sum up the skiing events in one emphatic word: Ouch!

Yes, skiers (and a few unlucky skaters, too) are certainly falling, crashing, face planting, and otherwise wiping out quite often during these Winter Games. You might have been too busy cringing from your TV screen to notice, but luckily for those fallen skiers, the crew of medics was on the scene right away—a testament to the training one can receive at one of the many health care schools in Canada.

The health care industry has long been a great field to work in—after all, people helping other people is always a good thing. But with growing population of aging citizens in Canada, just like in the U.S. and in other countries around the world, the demand for trained health care professionals is growing every year.

When one thinks of the health care industry, two jobs that immediately come to mind are those of doctors and nurses. While these positions are without a doubt critical to any good medical team, they are just two of the many career opportunities in health care. From medical assistants to phlebotomists and from billing specialists to hospital administrators, there are countless promising careers in health care.

Canada is a large country, so depending on the province in which you live or in which you would like to work, there will be a health care school for you. Check into local vocational and career schools as well as larger liberal arts colleges and universities that have health care programs as part of their curriculum.

American students can also expand their search for health care programs by considering Canadian schools. Outside of Quebec, where French is often spoken, much of Canada is English-speaking; therefore, Americans studying in Canadian health care programs can study abroad without the culture shock of learning a completely new language.

If you are already working in health care, you can keep your job and work towards achieving the next level by taking classes part time or online. Whatever your goal—be it to work in a large hospital, in a nursing home, or even on the ski slopes of Vancouver—you can achieve it by enrolling in one of the many health care programs in Canada.

–Barbara Bellesi