Advanced physiotherapist to physiotherapist
An advanced physiotherapist already meets 68% of what the physiotherapist role asks for. The move turns on 29 required skills not yet in the profile.
53.8/ 100
1 How much of what a physiotherapist is expected to do is already part of an advanced physiotherapist’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 physiotherapist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A physiotherapist role treats 61 of its required skills as things an advanced physiotherapist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- accept own accountability
- adhere to health well-being and safety
- adhere to organisational guidelines
- adjust physiotherapy interventions
- advise on healthcare users' informed consent
- advocate health
What stands in the way is 29 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 67 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A physiotherapist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an advanced physiotherapist background worth leading with.
- already held adjust physiotherapy interventions assisting and caring
- already held conduct physiotherapy assessment information skills
- already held develop physiotherapy services management skills
- already held develop strategic plans for physiotherapy services management skills
- already held engage in physiotherapy research information skills
- already held manage physiotherapy staff management skills
All 67 carried skills, including the 61 the physiotherapist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 31 missing skills fall into 5 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 orthopaedic manual physiotherapy required
- still to learn emergency surgery required
- still to learn intensive care medicine required
- still to learn obstetrics and gynaecology required
- still to learn respiratory therapy required
- still to learn surgery required
- still to learn first aid required
- still to learn general medicine required
- still to learn geriatrics required
- still to learn human anatomy required
- still to learn human physiology required
- still to learn kinetics required
- still to learn medical informatics required
- still to learn medical terminology required
- still to learn neurology required
- still to learn orthopaedics required
- still to learn paediatrics required
- still to learn psychiatry required
- still to learn rehabilitation required
- still to learn therapeutic massage required
- optional, not held hydrotherapy optional
- still to learn correct potentially harmful movements required
- still to learn employ cognitive behaviour treatment techniques required
- still to learn provide stroke rehabilitation services required
- optional, not held apply massage therapy optional
- still to learn biomechanics required
- still to learn pharmacology required
- still to learn physics required
- still to learn psychology required
- still to learn sociology required
- still to learn assess physical conditions of clients required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a physiotherapist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 orthopaedic manual physiotherapy study this
- 02 correct potentially harmful movements practise this
- 03 emergency surgery study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 67 skills that carry over
- already held accept own accountability skill
- already held adhere to health well-being and safety skill
- already held adhere to organisational guidelines skill
- already held adjust physiotherapy interventions skill
- already held advise on healthcare users' informed consent skill
- already held advocate health skill
- already held apply context specific clinical competences skill
- already held apply organisational techniques skill
- already held collect healthcare user's general data skill
- already held communicate in healthcare skill
- already held comply with legislation related to health care skill
- already held comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice skill
- already held conduct health related research skill
- already held conduct physiotherapy assessment skill
- already held contribute to continuity of health care skill
- already held contribute to quality physiotherapy services skill
- already held contribute to the rehabilitation process skill
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held deal with emergency care situations skill
- already held develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship skill
- already held develop physiotherapy services skill
- already held develop plans related to client discharge skill
- already held develop plans related to the transfer of care skill
- already held develop strategic plans for physiotherapy services skill
- already held develop therapeutic relationships skill
- already held educate on the prevention of illness skill
- already held empathise with the healthcare user skill
- already held engage in physiotherapy research skill
- already held ensure safety of healthcare users skill
- already held follow clinical guidelines skill
- already held formulate a treatment plan skill
- already held inform policy makers on health-related challenges skill
- already held interact with healthcare users skill
- already held interpret medical results skill
- already held listen actively skill
- already held maintain physiotherapy equipment skill
- already held manage a healthcare unit budget skill
- already held manage clinical risk skill
- already held manage healthcare staff knowledge
- already held manage healthcare users' data skill
- already held manage physiotherapy staff skill
- already held measure effectiveness of the service provided skill
- already held prescribe healthcare products skill
- already held promote health and safety policies in health services skill
- already held promote inclusion skill
- already held provide health education skill
- already held provide information on the effects of physiotherapy skill
- already held provide learning support in healthcare skill
- already held provide physiotherapy diagnosis skill
- already held provide self management support skill
- already held provide treatment strategies for challenges to human health skill
- already held record healthcare users' progress related to treatment skill
- already held refer healthcare users skill
- already held respond to changing situations in health care skill
- already held supervise physiotherapist assistants skill
- already held supervise physiotherapy students skill
- already held triage clients for physiotherapy skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held use e-health and mobile health technologies skill
- already held work in a multicultural environment in health care skill
- already held work in multidisciplinary health teams skill
- already held analyse personal fitness information skill
- already held apply acupuncture skill
- already held prescribe medication skill
- already held sport and exercise medicine knowledge
- already held use foreign languages for health-related research skill
- already held use foreign languages in patient care skill
2 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held hydrotherapy optional
- optional, not held apply massage therapy optional
5 held skills the physiotherapist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role occupational health knowledge
- not needed by the target role prescribe tests for physiotherapy skill
- not needed by the target role provide advanced clinical practice in physiotherapy skill
- not needed by the target role spine surgery knowledge
- not needed by the target role triage clients skill
26 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 orthopaedic manual physiotherapy required
- still to learn emergency surgery required
- still to learn intensive care medicine required
- still to learn obstetrics and gynaecology required
- still to learn respiratory therapy required
- still to learn surgery required
- still to learn biomechanics required
- still to learn first aid required
- still to learn general medicine required
- still to learn geriatrics required
- still to learn human anatomy required
- still to learn human physiology required
- still to learn kinetics required
- still to learn medical informatics required
- still to learn medical terminology required
- still to learn neurology required
- still to learn orthopaedics required
- still to learn paediatrics required
- still to learn pharmacology required
- still to learn physics required
- still to learn psychiatry required
- still to learn psychology required
- still to learn rehabilitation required
- still to learn sociology required
- still to learn therapeutic massage required
- optional, not held hydrotherapy optional
Common questions about this move
Can an advanced physiotherapist become a physiotherapist?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An advanced physiotherapist already covers 68% of what a physiotherapist is expected to do: 67 skills carry over, 61 of which the physiotherapist role treats as required.
What skills does an advanced physiotherapist need to become a physiotherapist?
29 required skills are missing, plus 2 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by health and welfare. The single most important is orthopaedic manual physiotherapy.
How hard is the move from advanced physiotherapist to physiotherapist?
Its learning distance is 53.8 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.