Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Podiatrist to acupuncturist

A podiatrist already meets 35% of what the acupuncturist role asks for. The move turns on 21 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From podiatrist
35 % overlap
Distant match
To acupuncturist
18 You already bring
21 Still to learn
54 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

73.8/ 100

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

Why

Why this move works

An acupuncturist role treats 12 of its required skills as things a podiatrist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • accept own accountability
  • apply context specific clinical competences
  • comply with legislation related to health care
  • comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice
  • develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship
  • ensure safety of healthcare users

What stands in the way is 21 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 18 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An acupuncturist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a podiatrist background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held apply massage therapy assisting and caring
  • already held record healthcare users' billing information information skills
  • already held process medical insurance claims information skills
  • already held sterilization techniques health and welfare
  • already held refer healthcare users assisting and caring
  • already held develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship communication, collaboration and creativity

All 18 carried skills, including the 12 the acupuncturist role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 36 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 communication, collaboration and creativity 8 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn advise on healthcare users' informed consent required
  • still to learn advise on mental health required
  • still to learn develop therapeutic relationships required
  • still to learn follow-up on healthcare users' treatment required
  • still to learn identify customer's needs required
  • still to learn work in multidisciplinary health teams required
  • still to learn listen actively required
  • still to learn provide health education required
  • optional, not held carry out preventative internal medicine interventions optional
  • optional, not held offer advice on diet-related concerns optional
02 health and welfare 4 required, 8 supplementary
  • still to learn acupuncture methods required
  • still to learn complementary and alternative medicine required
  • still to learn pathologies treated by acupuncture required
  • still to learn traditional Chinese medicine required
  • optional, not held auriculotherapy optional
  • optional, not held dietetics optional
  • optional, not held electrical stimulation in acupuncture optional
  • optional, not held multi-professional cooperation in health care optional
  • optional, not held phytotherapy optional
  • optional, not held tai chi optional
  • optional, not held general medicine optional
  • optional, not held therapeutic massage optional
03 assisting and caring 3 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn apply acupuncture required
  • still to learn select acupuncture points required
  • still to learn empathise with the healthcare user required
  • optional, not held conduct cupping therapy optional
  • optional, not held develop long-term treatment course for disorders in the glandular system optional
  • optional, not held promote inclusion optional
04 information skills 3 required
  • still to learn observe healthcare users required
  • still to learn obtain healthcare user's medical status information required
  • still to learn undertake healthcare examination required
05 business, administration and law 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn health care legislation required
  • optional, not held administrative tasks in a medical environment optional
06 handling and moving 1 required
  • still to learn maintain work area cleanliness required

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an acupuncturist 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 18 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held accept own accountability skill
  • already held apply context specific clinical competences skill
  • already held comply with legislation related to health care skill
  • already held comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice skill
  • already held develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship skill
  • already held ensure safety of healthcare users skill
  • already held follow clinical guidelines skill
  • already held human anatomy knowledge
  • already held human physiology knowledge
  • already held interact with healthcare users skill
  • already held manage healthcare users' data skill
  • already held sterilization techniques knowledge
  • already held apply massage therapy skill
  • already held process medical insurance claims skill
  • already held record healthcare users' billing information skill
  • already held refer healthcare users skill
  • already held use foreign languages in patient care skill
  • already held work in a multicultural environment in health care skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required
  • still to learn biomedicine required
08 working with computers 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held use e-health and mobile health technologies optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held administrative tasks in a medical environment optional
  • optional, not held auriculotherapy optional
  • optional, not held carry out preventative internal medicine interventions optional
  • optional, not held conduct cupping therapy optional
  • optional, not held develop long-term treatment course for disorders in the glandular system optional
  • optional, not held dietetics optional
  • optional, not held electrical stimulation in acupuncture optional
  • optional, not held multi-professional cooperation in health care optional
  • optional, not held phytotherapy optional
  • optional, not held tai chi optional
  • optional, not held use e-health and mobile health technologies optional
  • optional, not held general medicine optional
  • optional, not held offer advice on diet-related concerns optional
  • optional, not held promote inclusion optional
  • optional, not held therapeutic massage optional
25 held skills the acupuncturist role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role anaesthetics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role behavioural therapy knowledge
  • not needed by the target role biomechanics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role chiropody knowledge
  • not needed by the target role conduct podiatry consultation skill
  • not needed by the target role dermatology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role develop foot orthoses skill
  • not needed by the target role foot problems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role health care system knowledge
  • not needed by the target role histology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role hydrotherapy knowledge
  • not needed by the target role immunology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role kinetics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role maintain medical devices skill
  • not needed by the target role orthopaedic conditions knowledge
  • not needed by the target role orthopaedic treatment alternatives knowledge
  • not needed by the target role orthotics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role paediatrics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role pharmacology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role podiatric surgery knowledge
  • not needed by the target role promote foot health skill
  • not needed by the target role provide footwear advice to patients skill
  • not needed by the target role recommend orthotic devices skill
  • not needed by the target role rheumatology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role sport and exercise medicine knowledge
15 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 acupuncture methods required
  • still to learn biomedicine required
  • still to learn complementary and alternative medicine required
  • still to learn pathologies treated by acupuncture required
  • still to learn traditional Chinese medicine required
  • still to learn health care legislation required
  • optional, not held administrative tasks in a medical environment optional
  • optional, not held auriculotherapy optional
  • optional, not held dietetics optional
  • optional, not held electrical stimulation in acupuncture optional
  • optional, not held multi-professional cooperation in health care optional
  • optional, not held phytotherapy optional
  • optional, not held tai chi optional
  • optional, not held general medicine optional
  • optional, not held therapeutic massage optional
Index

Other moves recorded from podiatrist

Full index of moves from podiatrist

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a podiatrist become an acupuncturist?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A podiatrist already covers 35% of what an acupuncturist is expected to do: 18 skills carry over, 12 of which the acupuncturist role treats as required.

What skills does a podiatrist need to become an acupuncturist?

21 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is acupuncture methods.

How hard is the move from podiatrist to acupuncturist?

Its learning distance is 73.8 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.