Acupuncturist to herbal therapist
An acupuncturist already meets 56% of what the herbal therapist role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
53.2/ 100
1 How much of what a herbal therapist 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 herbal therapist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A herbal therapist role treats 17 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
- develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship
- develop therapeutic relationships
- empathise with the healthcare user
What stands in the way is 9 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. A herbal therapist 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 develop long-term treatment course for disorders in the glandular system assisting and caring
- 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 follow-up on healthcare users' treatment communication, collaboration and creativity
All 25 carried skills, including the 17 the herbal therapist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 missing skills fall into 8 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 apply a holistic approach in care required
- still to learn apply aromatherapy required
- still to learn maintain healthcare user data confidentiality required
- still to learn collect healthcare user's general data required
- still to learn study topics required
- optional, not held address side effects of menopause optional
- optional, not held conduct physical examinations optional
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- still to learn types of aromatherapy treatments required
- optional, not held homeopathy remedies optional
- optional, not held iridology optional
- optional, not held reiki 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
- still to learn communicate in healthcare required
- optional, not held use communication techniques optional
- optional, not held use foreign languages for health-related research optional
- still to learn characteristics of plants required
- optional, not held biology optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- still to learn promote mental health required
- optional, not held apply organisational techniques optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a herbal therapist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 apply a holistic approach in care practise this
- 02 apply aromatherapy practise this
- 03 collect healthcare user's general data 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 develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship 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 human anatomy knowledge
- already held human physiology knowledge
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held interact with healthcare users 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 apply acupuncture skill
- already held carry out preventative internal medicine interventions skill
- already held complementary and alternative medicine knowledge
- already held develop long-term treatment course for disorders in the glandular system skill
- already held general medicine knowledge
- already held refer healthcare users skill
- already held tai chi knowledge
- already held use foreign languages in patient care skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
- optional, not held pedagogy optional
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held address side effects of menopause optional
- optional, not held conduct physical examinations optional
- optional, not held homeopathy remedies optional
- optional, not held iridology optional
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- optional, not held reiki optional
- optional, not held shiatsu optional
- optional, not held apply organisational techniques optional
- optional, not held biology optional
- optional, not held chemistry 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 marketing principles optional
- optional, not held pedagogy optional
- optional, not held use communication techniques optional
- optional, not held use foreign languages for health-related research optional
29 held skills the herbal therapist 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 apply massage therapy 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 comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice skill
- not needed by the target role conduct cupping therapy 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 follow clinical guidelines skill
- not needed by the target role health care legislation knowledge
- 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 record healthcare users' billing information 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 therapeutic massage 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 work in a multicultural environment in health care skill
- not needed by the target role work in multidisciplinary health teams skill
14 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 characteristics of plants required
- optional, not held homeopathy remedies optional
- optional, not held iridology optional
- optional, not held reiki optional
- optional, not held shiatsu optional
- optional, not held biology optional
- optional, not held chemistry 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 marketing principles optional
- optional, not held pedagogy optional
Common questions about this move
Can an acupuncturist become a herbal therapist?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An acupuncturist already covers 56% of what a herbal therapist is expected to do: 25 skills carry over, 17 of which the herbal therapist role treats as required.
What skills does an acupuncturist need to become a herbal therapist?
9 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is apply a holistic approach in care.
How hard is the move from acupuncturist to herbal therapist?
Its learning distance is 53.2 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.