Midwife to orthoptist
A midwife already meets 47% of what the orthoptist role asks for. The move turns on 33 required skills not yet in the profile.
69.4/ 100
1 How much of what an orthoptist is expected to do is already part of a midwife’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 orthoptist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An orthoptist role treats 30 of its required skills as things a midwife already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- accept own accountability
- adhere to organisational guidelines
- anaesthetics
- apply context specific clinical competences
- apply organisational techniques
- comply with legislation related to health care
What stands in the way is 33 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 33 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An orthoptist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a midwife background worth leading with.
- already held anaesthetics health and welfare
- already held provide treatment strategies for challenges to human health management skills
- already held pathology health and welfare
- already held health care occupation-specific ethics arts and humanities
- already held hygiene in a health care setting services
- already held educate on the prevention of illness communication, collaboration and creativity
All 33 carried skills, including the 30 the orthoptist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 37 missing skills fall into 7 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 contact lens fitting techniques required
- still to learn neuro-ophthalmology required
- still to learn ophthalmological examination methods required
- still to learn orthoptics required
- still to learn treatment of strabismus required
- still to learn types of strabismus required
- still to learn professional documentation in health care required
- still to learn first aid required
- still to learn human physiology required
- still to learn medical informatics required
- still to learn medical terminology required
- still to learn neurology required
- still to learn neurophysiology required
- still to learn paediatrics required
- still to learn carry out orthoptic treatments required
- still to learn receive patient referrals with eye conditions required
- still to learn supervise orthoptic treatments required
- still to learn perform vision rehabilitation required
- still to learn provide therapy of the visual system required
- still to learn test visual acuity required
- still to learn empathise with the healthcare user required
- optional, not held prescribe corrective lenses optional
- still to learn conduct specialised orthoptic tests required
- still to learn determine eye disease progression required
- still to learn diagnose problems of the visual system required
- still to learn record healthcare users' progress related to treatment required
- still to learn undertake healthcare examination required
- optional, not held record healthcare users' billing information optional
- still to learn advise on healthcare users' informed consent required
- still to learn advise patients on vision improvement conditions required
- still to learn promote ocular health required
- still to learn communicate in healthcare required
- still to learn interact with healthcare users required
- still to learn optics required
- still to learn paediatric psychology required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an orthoptist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 carry out orthoptic treatments practise this
- 02 conduct specialised orthoptic tests practise this
- 03 contact lens fitting techniques 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 33 skills that carry over
- already held accept own accountability skill
- already held adhere to organisational guidelines skill
- already held anaesthetics knowledge
- already held apply context specific clinical competences skill
- already held apply organisational techniques skill
- already held comply with legislation related to health care skill
- already held comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice skill
- already held contribute to continuity of health care skill
- already held deal with emergency care situations skill
- already held develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship skill
- already held educate on the prevention of illness skill
- already held ensure safety of healthcare users skill
- already held follow clinical guidelines skill
- already held health care legislation knowledge
- already held health care occupation-specific ethics knowledge
- already held human anatomy knowledge
- already held hygiene in a health care setting knowledge
- already held inform policy makers on health-related challenges skill
- already held listen actively skill
- already held manage healthcare users' data skill
- already held pathology knowledge
- already held pharmacology knowledge
- already held promote inclusion skill
- already held provide health education skill
- already held provide treatment strategies for challenges to human health skill
- already held psychology knowledge
- already held respond to changing situations in health care 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 pedagogy knowledge
- already held use foreign languages for health-related research skill
- already held use foreign languages in patient care skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held select intraocular lenses for surgery optional
- optional, not held participate in medical inventory control optional
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held select intraocular lenses for surgery optional
- optional, not held prescribe corrective lenses optional
- optional, not held participate in medical inventory control optional
- optional, not held record healthcare users' billing information optional
55 held skills the orthoptist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role address problems critically skill
- not needed by the target role address side effects of menopause skill
- not needed by the target role advise on childbirth skill
- not needed by the target role advise on family planning skill
- not needed by the target role advise on pregnancies at risk skill
- not needed by the target role advise on pregnancy skill
- not needed by the target role analgesics knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply acupuncture skill
- not needed by the target role assess the course of breast-feeding period skill
- not needed by the target role assist on pregnancy abnormality skill
- not needed by the target role care for the new-born infant skill
- not needed by the target role carry out treatment prescribed by doctors skill
- not needed by the target role childbirth knowledge
- not needed by the target role collect biological samples from patients skill
- not needed by the target role company policies knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct research on reproductive medicine skill
- not needed by the target role conduct spontaneous child deliveries skill
- not needed by the target role dietetics knowledge
- not needed by the target role embryology knowledge
- not needed by the target role empathise with the woman's family during and after pregnancy skill
- not needed by the target role epidemiology knowledge
- not needed by the target role examine the new-born infant skill
- not needed by the target role female reproductive system pathology knowledge
- not needed by the target role health education knowledge
- not needed by the target role homeopathy knowledge
- not needed by the target role lactation knowledge
- not needed by the target role microbiology-bacteriology knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor pregnancy skill
- not needed by the target role neonatology knowledge
- not needed by the target role obstetric ultrasonography knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform antepartum fetal monitoring skill
- not needed by the target role phytotherapy knowledge
- not needed by the target role postpartum legal protection knowledge
- not needed by the target role postpartum period knowledge
- not needed by the target role pregnancy knowledge
- not needed by the target role preparation for child delivery knowledge
- not needed by the target role preparation for parenthood knowledge
- not needed by the target role prescribe medication skill
- not needed by the target role provide care for the mother during labour skill
- not needed by the target role provide education on family life skill
15 further entries not listed here
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 contact lens fitting techniques required
- still to learn neuro-ophthalmology required
- still to learn ophthalmological examination methods required
- still to learn orthoptics required
- still to learn treatment of strabismus required
- still to learn types of strabismus required
- still to learn paediatric psychology required
- still to learn professional documentation in health care required
- still to learn first aid required
- still to learn human physiology required
- still to learn medical informatics required
- still to learn medical terminology required
- still to learn neurology required
- still to learn neurophysiology required
- still to learn optics required
- still to learn paediatrics required
Other moves recorded from midwife
- maternity support worker 74% covered · moderate
- healthcare assistant 56% covered · moderate
- physiotherapy assistant 51% covered · substantial
- dental hygienist 50% covered · substantial
- dental technician 50% covered · substantial
- specialist pharmacist 49% covered · substantial
- respiratory therapy technician 49% covered · moderate
- pharmacy assistant 47% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a midwife become an orthoptist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A midwife already covers 47% of what an orthoptist is expected to do: 33 skills carry over, 30 of which the orthoptist role treats as required.
What skills does a midwife need to become an orthoptist?
33 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by health and welfare. The single most important is carry out orthoptic treatments.
How hard is the move from midwife to orthoptist?
Its learning distance is 69.4 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.