Osteopath to traditional chinese medicine therapist
An osteopath already meets 39% of what the traditional chinese medicine therapist role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
65.9/ 100
1 How much of what a traditional chinese medicine therapist is expected to do is already part of an osteopath’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 traditional chinese medicine therapist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A traditional chinese medicine therapist role treats 10 of its required skills as things an osteopath already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on healthy lifestyles
- develop therapeutic relationships
- empathise with the healthcare user
- ensure safety of healthcare users
- follow-up on healthcare users' treatment
- human anatomy
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 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A traditional chinese medicine therapist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an osteopath background worth leading with.
- already held monitor patients' progress related to treatment information skills
- already held advise on healthy lifestyles communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held follow-up on healthcare users' treatment communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held develop therapeutic relationships communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held refer healthcare users assisting and caring
- already held general medicine health and welfare
All 13 carried skills, including the 10 the traditional chinese medicine therapist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 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 pathologies treated by acupuncture required
- still to learn phytotherapy required
- still to learn traditional Chinese medicine required
- still to learn pathology required
- optional, not held acupuncture methods optional
- optional, not held auriculotherapy optional
- optional, not held complementary and alternative medicine optional
- optional, not held composition of diets optional
- optional, not held sterilization techniques optional
- still to learn apply context specific clinical competences required
- still to learn counsel healthcare users on medicines required
- still to learn identify customer's needs required
- optional, not held carry out preventative internal medicine interventions optional
- optional, not held educate on the prevention of illness optional
- still to learn monitor patient's health condition required
- still to learn observe healthcare users required
- optional, not held address side effects of menopause optional
- still to learn apply massage therapy required
- optional, not held apply acupuncture optional
- optional, not held develop long-term treatment course for disorders in the glandular system optional
- optional, not held select acupuncture points optional
- still to learn maintain work area cleanliness required
- still to learn promote mental health required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a traditional chinese medicine therapist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 apply context specific clinical competences practise this
- 02 biomedicine study this
- 03 counsel healthcare users on medicines 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 13 skills that carry over
- already held advise on healthy lifestyles 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 listen actively skill
- already held monitor patients' progress related to treatment skill
- already held refer healthcare users skill
- already held general medicine knowledge
- already held pharmacology knowledge
- already held provide health education skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn biomedicine required
- optional, not held relaxation techniques optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held acupuncture methods optional
- optional, not held address side effects of menopause optional
- optional, not held apply acupuncture optional
- optional, not held auriculotherapy optional
- optional, not held carry out preventative internal medicine interventions optional
- optional, not held complementary and alternative medicine optional
- optional, not held develop long-term treatment course for disorders in the glandular system optional
- optional, not held select acupuncture points optional
- optional, not held composition of diets optional
- optional, not held educate on the prevention of illness optional
- optional, not held relaxation techniques optional
- optional, not held sterilization techniques optional
35 held skills the traditional chinese medicine therapist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply deep tissue massage skill
- not needed by the target role apply person-centred care skill
- not needed by the target role biomechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role collect healthcare user's general data skill
- not needed by the target role comply with legislation related to health care skill
- not needed by the target role conduct gross examination of tissues skill
- not needed by the target role conduct physical examinations skill
- not needed by the target role contribute to the rehabilitation process skill
- not needed by the target role create a diet plan skill
- not needed by the target role develop osteopathic treatment plans skill
- not needed by the target role diagnose musculoskeletal conditions skill
- not needed by the target role dietetics knowledge
- not needed by the target role endocrinology knowledge
- not needed by the target role first aid knowledge
- not needed by the target role food science knowledge
- not needed by the target role health care legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role health care occupation-specific ethics knowledge
- not needed by the target role interact with healthcare users skill
- not needed by the target role kinetics knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain treatment records skill
- not needed by the target role manage trauma through surgical means skill
- not needed by the target role musculoskeletal anatomy knowledge
- not needed by the target role neurology knowledge
- not needed by the target role obtain healthcare user's medical status information skill
- not needed by the target role orthopaedics knowledge
- not needed by the target role osteopathy knowledge
- not needed by the target role prescribe treatment for musculoskeletal injuries skill
- not needed by the target role promote exercise programmes skill
- not needed by the target role provide osteopathic diagnosis skill
- not needed by the target role record healthcare users' progress related to treatment skill
- not needed by the target role scientific research methodology knowledge
- not needed by the target role take and analyse blood pressure skill
- not needed by the target role therapeutic massage knowledge
- not needed by the target role undertake healthcare examination skill
- not needed by the target role work in multidisciplinary health teams skill
11 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 biomedicine required
- still to learn pathologies treated by acupuncture required
- still to learn phytotherapy required
- still to learn traditional Chinese medicine required
- still to learn pathology required
- optional, not held acupuncture methods optional
- optional, not held auriculotherapy optional
- optional, not held complementary and alternative medicine optional
- optional, not held composition of diets optional
- optional, not held relaxation techniques optional
- optional, not held sterilization techniques optional
Common questions about this move
Can an osteopath become a traditional chinese medicine therapist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An osteopath already covers 39% of what a traditional chinese medicine therapist is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 10 of which the traditional chinese medicine therapist role treats as required.
What skills does an osteopath need to become a traditional chinese medicine therapist?
13 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by health and welfare. The single most important is apply context specific clinical competences.
How hard is the move from osteopath to traditional chinese medicine therapist?
Its learning distance is 65.9 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.