Acupuncturist to aromatherapist
An acupuncturist already meets 47% of what the aromatherapist role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
63.5/ 100
1 How much of what an aromatherapist is expected to do is already part of an acupuncturist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the aromatherapist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An aromatherapist role treats 16 of its required skills as things an acupuncturist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- acupuncture methods
- advise on mental health
- apply context specific clinical competences
- apply massage therapy
- comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice
- develop therapeutic relationships
What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 25 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An aromatherapist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an acupuncturist background worth leading with.
- already held tai chi health and welfare
- already held complementary and alternative medicine health and welfare
- already held acupuncture methods health and welfare
- already held observe healthcare users information skills
- already held therapeutic massage health and welfare
- already held follow-up on healthcare users' treatment communication, collaboration and creativity
All 25 carried skills, including the 16 the aromatherapist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 38 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn types of aromatherapy treatments required
- still to learn types of essential oils required
- still to learn massage theory required
- optional, not held homeopathy remedies optional
- optional, not held shiatsu optional
- optional, not held energy therapy optional
- optional, not held etiopathy optional
- optional, not held fasciatherapy optional
- optional, not held homeopathy optional
- optional, not held pathology optional
- optional, not held reflexology optional
- still to learn apply aromatherapy required
- still to learn apply massage oil required
- still to learn develop personalised massage plan required
- optional, not held apply a holistic approach in care optional
- optional, not held prescribe topical therapy optional
- still to learn provide health psychological advice required
- still to learn discuss the medical history of the healthcare user required
- optional, not held communicate professionally with colleagues in other fields optional
- optional, not held sell products optional
- optional, not held sell services optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- still to learn record healthcare users' progress related to treatment required
- optional, not held address side effects of menopause optional
- optional, not held keep up to date with spa products optional
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- optional, not held oversee spa maintenance optional
- optional, not held undertake clinical audit optional
- still to learn promote mental health required
- optional, not held apply business acumen optional
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
- still to learn prepare oils required
- optional, not held work with chemicals optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an aromatherapist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 apply aromatherapy practise this
- 02 apply massage oil practise this
- 03 prepare oils practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 25 skills that carry over
- already held acupuncture methods knowledge
- already held advise on mental health skill
- already held apply context specific clinical competences skill
- already held apply massage therapy skill
- already held comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice skill
- already held develop therapeutic relationships skill
- already held empathise with the healthcare user skill
- already held ensure safety of healthcare users skill
- already held follow-up on healthcare users' treatment skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held listen actively skill
- already held maintain work area cleanliness skill
- already held observe healthcare users skill
- already held phytotherapy knowledge
- already held provide health education skill
- already held therapeutic massage knowledge
- already held apply acupuncture skill
- already held carry out preventative internal medicine interventions skill
- already held complementary and alternative medicine knowledge
- already held follow clinical guidelines skill
- already held general medicine knowledge
- already held human anatomy knowledge
- already held human physiology knowledge
- already held record healthcare users' billing information skill
- already held tai chi knowledge
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn consultation required
- still to learn relaxation techniques required
- optional, not held clinical psychological treatment optional
- optional, not held types of spa optional
- optional, not held psychology optional
25 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held address side effects of menopause optional
- optional, not held apply a holistic approach in care optional
- optional, not held clinical psychological treatment optional
- optional, not held homeopathy remedies optional
- optional, not held keep up to date with spa products optional
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- optional, not held oversee spa maintenance optional
- optional, not held prescribe topical therapy optional
- optional, not held shiatsu optional
- optional, not held types of spa optional
- optional, not held undertake clinical audit optional
- optional, not held apply business acumen optional
- optional, not held communicate professionally with colleagues in other fields optional
- optional, not held energy therapy optional
- optional, not held etiopathy optional
- optional, not held fasciatherapy optional
- optional, not held homeopathy optional
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
- optional, not held pathology optional
- optional, not held psychology optional
- optional, not held reflexology optional
- optional, not held sell products optional
- optional, not held sell services optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- optional, not held work with chemicals optional
29 held skills the aromatherapist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accept own accountability skill
- not needed by the target role administrative tasks in a medical environment knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on healthcare users' informed consent skill
- not needed by the target role auriculotherapy knowledge
- not needed by the target role biomedicine knowledge
- not needed by the target role comply with legislation related to health care skill
- not needed by the target role conduct cupping therapy skill
- not needed by the target role develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship skill
- not needed by the target role develop long-term treatment course for disorders in the glandular system skill
- not needed by the target role dietetics knowledge
- not needed by the target role electrical stimulation in acupuncture knowledge
- not needed by the target role health care legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role interact with healthcare users skill
- not needed by the target role manage healthcare users' data skill
- not needed by the target role multi-professional cooperation in health care knowledge
- not needed by the target role obtain healthcare user's medical status information skill
- not needed by the target role offer advice on diet-related concerns skill
- not needed by the target role pathologies treated by acupuncture knowledge
- not needed by the target role process medical insurance claims skill
- not needed by the target role promote inclusion skill
- not needed by the target role refer healthcare users skill
- not needed by the target role select acupuncture points skill
- not needed by the target role sterilization techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role traditional Chinese medicine knowledge
- not needed by the target role undertake healthcare examination skill
- not needed by the target role use e-health and mobile health technologies skill
- not needed by the target role use foreign languages in patient care skill
- not needed by the target role work in a multicultural environment in health care skill
- not needed by the target role work in multidisciplinary health teams skill
16 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn types of aromatherapy treatments required
- still to learn types of essential oils required
- still to learn consultation required
- still to learn massage theory required
- still to learn relaxation techniques required
- optional, not held clinical psychological treatment optional
- optional, not held homeopathy remedies optional
- optional, not held shiatsu optional
- optional, not held types of spa optional
- optional, not held energy therapy optional
- optional, not held etiopathy optional
- optional, not held fasciatherapy optional
- optional, not held homeopathy optional
- optional, not held pathology optional
- optional, not held psychology optional
- optional, not held reflexology optional
Common questions about this move
Can an acupuncturist become an aromatherapist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An acupuncturist already covers 47% of what an aromatherapist is expected to do: 25 skills carry over, 16 of which the aromatherapist role treats as required.
What skills does an acupuncturist need to become an aromatherapist?
13 required skills are missing, plus 25 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by health and welfare. The single most important is apply aromatherapy.
How hard is the move from acupuncturist to aromatherapist?
Its learning distance is 63.5 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.