RecordMove

Physics technician to biochemistry technician

A physics technician already meets 30% of what the biochemistry technician role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From physics technician

Distant match

To biochemistry technician

9 You already bring

14 Still to learn

44 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

73.6/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a biochemistry technician is expected to do is already part of a physics technician’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 biochemistry technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A biochemistry technician role treats 9 of its required skills as things a physics technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

analyse experimental laboratory data
apply safety procedures in laboratory
apply scientific methods
calibrate laboratory equipment
collect samples for analysis
laboratory techniques

What stands in the way is 14 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A biochemistry technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a physics technician background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held analyse experimental laboratory data information skills
already held maintain laboratory equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held calibrate laboratory equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held apply safety procedures in laboratory assisting and caring
already held laboratory techniques natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held perform laboratory tests working with machinery and specialised equipment

All 9 carried skills, including the 9 the biochemistry technician role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 35 missing skills fall into 10 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 6 required, 7 supplementary

still to learn biological chemistry required
still to learn genetics required
still to learn laboratory equipment required
still to learn stem cells required
still to learn biology required
still to learn life sciences required

optional, not held computational chemistry optional
optional, not held evolutionary biology optional
optional, not held microbiology-bacteriology optional
optional, not held analytical chemistry optional
optional, not held clinical cytology optional
optional, not held pharmacology optional
optional, not held toxicology optional

02 information skills 3 required, 4 supplementary

still to learn assist in the production of laboratory documentation required
still to learn conduct routine blood testing required
still to learn perform scientific research required

optional, not held analyse blood samples optional
optional, not held analyse cell cultures optional
optional, not held examine samples in dermatology optional
optional, not held keep task records optional

03 health and welfare 1 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn biotechnology required

optional, not held endocrinology optional
optional, not held communicable diseases optional
optional, not held virology optional

04 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn write technical reports required

optional, not held write research proposals optional

05 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn use laboratory equipment required

optional, not held perform chemical experiments optional

06 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required

still to learn solid phase microextraction required

4 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a biochemistry technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 9 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held analyse experimental laboratory data skill
already held apply safety procedures in laboratory skill
already held apply scientific methods skill
already held calibrate laboratory equipment skill
already held collect samples for analysis skill
already held laboratory techniques knowledge
already held maintain laboratory equipment skill
already held perform laboratory tests skill
already held scientific research methodology knowledge

The 4 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 management skills 1 required

still to learn manage inventory required

08 handling and moving 2 supplementary

optional, not held label samples optional
optional, not held preserve samples optional

09 working with computers 2 supplementary

optional, not held maintain freelance database optional
optional, not held prepare visual data optional

10 services 1 supplementary

optional, not held hazardous waste storage optional

21 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held analyse blood samples optional
optional, not held analyse cell cultures optional
optional, not held computational chemistry optional
optional, not held endocrinology optional
optional, not held evolutionary biology optional
optional, not held examine samples in dermatology optional
optional, not held label samples optional
optional, not held microbiology-bacteriology optional
optional, not held analytical chemistry optional
optional, not held clinical cytology optional
optional, not held communicable diseases optional
optional, not held hazardous waste storage optional
optional, not held keep task records optional
optional, not held maintain freelance database optional
optional, not held perform chemical experiments optional
optional, not held pharmacology optional
optional, not held prepare visual data optional
optional, not held preserve samples optional
optional, not held toxicology optional
optional, not held virology optional
optional, not held write research proposals optional

24 held skills the biochemistry technician role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role acoustics knowledge
not needed by the target role analyse scientific data skill
not needed by the target role apply statistical analysis techniques skill
not needed by the target role assist scientific research skill
not needed by the target role astronomy knowledge
not needed by the target role communicate with external laboratories skill
not needed by the target role densiometry knowledge
not needed by the target role execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
not needed by the target role gather experimental data skill
not needed by the target role geology knowledge
not needed by the target role geophysics knowledge
not needed by the target role interpret geophysical data skill
not needed by the target role mathematics knowledge
not needed by the target role observe matter skill
not needed by the target role operate remote sensing equipment skill
not needed by the target role operate telescopes skill
not needed by the target role physics knowledge
not needed by the target role quantum computing knowledge
not needed by the target role quantum mechanics knowledge
not needed by the target role report analysis results skill
not needed by the target role statistics knowledge
not needed by the target role thermodynamics knowledge
not needed by the target role use measurement instruments skill
not needed by the target role write scientific publications skill

19 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier

still to learn biological chemistry required
still to learn genetics required
still to learn laboratory equipment required
still to learn solid phase microextraction required
still to learn stem cells required
still to learn biology required
still to learn biotechnology required
still to learn life sciences required
optional, not held computational chemistry optional
optional, not held endocrinology optional
optional, not held evolutionary biology optional
optional, not held microbiology-bacteriology optional
optional, not held analytical chemistry optional
optional, not held clinical cytology optional
optional, not held communicable diseases optional
optional, not held hazardous waste storage optional
optional, not held pharmacology optional
optional, not held toxicology optional
optional, not held virology optional

Index

Other moves recorded from physics technician

Full index of moves from physics technician

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a physics technician become a biochemistry technician?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A physics technician already covers 30% of what a biochemistry technician is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 9 of which the biochemistry technician role treats as required.

What skills does a physics technician need to become a biochemistry technician?

14 required skills are missing, plus 21 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by natural sciences, mathematics and statistics. The single most important is assist in the production of laboratory documentation.

How hard is the move from physics technician to biochemistry technician?

Its learning distance is 73.6 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.