Radiographer to orthoptist
A radiographer already meets 50% of what the orthoptist role asks for. The move turns on 31 required skills not yet in the profile.
67.4/ 100
1 How much of what an orthoptist is expected to do is already part of a radiographer’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 32 of its required skills as things a radiographer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on healthcare users' informed consent
- apply context specific clinical competences
- apply organisational techniques
- communicate in healthcare
- comply with legislation related to health care
- comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice
What stands in the way is 31 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 35 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 radiographer background worth leading with.
- already held paediatrics health and welfare
- 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
- already held pharmacology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 35 carried skills, including the 32 the orthoptist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 35 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 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 anaesthetics required
- still to learn professional documentation in health care required
- still to learn medical informatics required
- still to learn neurology required
- still to learn neurophysiology 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 adhere to organisational guidelines 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 accept own accountability required
- still to learn advise patients on vision improvement conditions required
- still to learn promote ocular health required
- still to learn develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship required
- still to learn work in a multicultural environment in health care required
- still to learn provide treatment strategies for challenges to human health required
- still to learn optics required
2 further areas 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 35 skills that carry over
- already held advise on healthcare users' informed consent skill
- already held apply context specific clinical competences skill
- already held apply organisational techniques 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 contribute to continuity of health care skill
- already held deal with emergency care situations skill
- already held educate on the prevention of illness skill
- already held empathise with the healthcare user skill
- already held ensure safety of healthcare users skill
- already held first aid knowledge
- 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 human physiology knowledge
- already held hygiene in a health care setting knowledge
- already held inform policy makers on health-related challenges skill
- already held interact with healthcare users skill
- already held listen actively skill
- already held manage healthcare users' data skill
- already held medical terminology knowledge
- already held paediatrics knowledge
- already held pathology knowledge
- already held pharmacology knowledge
- already held promote inclusion skill
- already held provide health education 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 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 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn paediatric psychology required
- 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
42 held skills the orthoptist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role Interpret diagnostic procedures for vascular surgery skill
- not needed by the target role adhere to organisational code of ethics skill
- not needed by the target role administer radiotherapy skill
- not needed by the target role analyse X-ray imagery skill
- not needed by the target role apply radiation protection procedures skill
- not needed by the target role apply radiological health sciences skill
- not needed by the target role calculate exposure to radiation skill
- not needed by the target role conduct cancer screening tests skill
- not needed by the target role conduct health related research skill
- not needed by the target role conduct radiotherapy computer planning skill
- not needed by the target role conduct video telemetry skill
- not needed by the target role determine imaging techniques to be performed skill
- not needed by the target role develop new imaging techniques skill
- not needed by the target role development trends in radiography knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with radiation protection regulations skill
- not needed by the target role epidemiology knowledge
- not needed by the target role evidence-based radiography practice knowledge
- not needed by the target role healthcare data systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify progression of disease skill
- not needed by the target role implant brachytherapy treatments skill
- not needed by the target role interact with healthcare suppliers skill
- not needed by the target role interpret medical images skill
- not needed by the target role interpret requests for imaging examinations skill
- not needed by the target role maintain imaging equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manage radiology information system skill
- not needed by the target role medical contrast agents knowledge
- not needed by the target role medical oncology knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate medical imaging equipment skill
- not needed by the target role orthopaedics knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform clinical research in radiography skill
- not needed by the target role perform lectures skill
- not needed by the target role pharmaceutical products knowledge
- not needed by the target role post-process medical images skill
- not needed by the target role prepare lesson content skill
- not needed by the target role prepare patients for imaging procedures skill
- not needed by the target role provide information skill
- not needed by the target role provide psychological support to patients skill
- not needed by the target role radiation physics in healthcare knowledge
- not needed by the target role radiation protection knowledge
- not needed by the target role radiobiology knowledge
2 further entries not listed here
13 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 anaesthetics required
- still to learn paediatric psychology required
- still to learn professional documentation in health care required
- still to learn medical informatics required
- still to learn neurology required
- still to learn neurophysiology required
- still to learn optics required
Common questions about this move
Can a radiographer become an orthoptist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A radiographer already covers 50% of what an orthoptist is expected to do: 35 skills carry over, 32 of which the orthoptist role treats as required.
What skills does a radiographer need to become an orthoptist?
31 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 8 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 radiographer to orthoptist?
Its learning distance is 67.4 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.