Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Specialised doctor to physiologist

A specialised doctor already meets 60% of what the physiologist role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From specialised doctor
60 % overlap
Strong match
To physiologist
42 You already bring
12 Still to learn
83 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

54.4/ 100

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

Why

Why this move works

A physiologist role treats 29 of its required skills as things a specialised doctor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • apply for research funding
  • apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activities
  • communicate with a non-scientific audience
  • conduct research across disciplines
  • demonstrate disciplinary expertise
  • develop professional network with researchers and scientists

What stands in the way is 12 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 42 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A physiologist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a specialised doctor background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held explain types of coagulation disorders communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held nuclear medicine health and welfare
  • already held urolithiasis in the urinary tract health and welfare
  • already held conduct polysomnography information skills
  • already held conduct preoperative investigations information skills
  • already held hepatology health and welfare

All 42 carried skills, including the 29 the physiologist role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 41 missing skills fall into 12 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 working with machinery and specialised equipment 3 required
  • still to learn calibrate laboratory equipment required
  • still to learn maintain laboratory equipment required
  • still to learn perform laboratory tests required
02 health and welfare 2 required, 6 supplementary
  • still to learn human anatomy required
  • still to learn human physiology required
  • optional, not held clinical immunopathology optional
  • optional, not held exercise physiology optional
  • optional, not held neuroscience optional
  • optional, not held professional documentation in health care optional
  • optional, not held occupational physiology optional
  • optional, not held rehabilitation optional
03 information skills 2 required, 5 supplementary
  • still to learn conduct research on fauna required
  • still to learn apply scientific methods required
  • optional, not held conduct experiments on animals optional
  • optional, not held develop scientific theories optional
  • optional, not held archive scientific documentation optional
  • optional, not held develop scientific research protocols optional
  • optional, not held gather experimental data optional
04 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 2 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn biology required
  • still to learn laboratory techniques required
  • optional, not held proteomics optional
  • optional, not held clinical cytology optional
  • optional, not held life sciences optional
05 assisting and caring 1 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn apply safety procedures in laboratory required
  • optional, not held assist in performing physical exercises optional
  • optional, not held assist patients with rehabilitation optional
  • optional, not held assess environmental impact optional
  • optional, not held develop patient treatment strategies optional
06 arts and humanities 1 required
  • still to learn histology required

6 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a physiologist 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 42 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held apply for research funding skill
  • already held apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activities skill
  • already held communicate with a non-scientific audience skill
  • already held conduct research across disciplines skill
  • already held demonstrate disciplinary expertise skill
  • already held develop professional network with researchers and scientists skill
  • already held disseminate results to the scientific community skill
  • already held draft scientific or academic papers and technical documentation skill
  • already held evaluate research activities skill
  • already held increase the impact of science on policy and society skill
  • already held integrate gender dimension in research skill
  • already held interact professionally in research and professional environments skill
  • already held manage findable accessible interoperable and reusable data skill
  • already held manage intellectual property rights skill
  • already held manage open publications skill
  • already held manage personal professional development skill
  • already held manage research data skill
  • already held mentor individuals skill
  • already held operate open source software skill
  • already held perform project management skill
  • already held perform scientific research skill
  • already held promote open innovation in research skill
  • already held promote the participation of citizens in scientific and research activities skill
  • already held promote the transfer of knowledge skill
  • already held publish academic research skill
  • already held speak different languages skill
  • already held synthesise information skill
  • already held think abstractly skill
  • already held write scientific publications skill
  • already held apply blended learning skill
  • already held conduct polysomnography skill
  • already held conduct preoperative investigations skill
  • already held dermapathology knowledge
  • already held explain the molecular basis of a disease to patients skill
  • already held explain types of coagulation disorders skill
  • already held hepatology knowledge
  • already held interpret electromyograms skill
  • already held intracranial hypertension knowledge
  • already held neoplasia knowledge
  • already held nuclear medicine knowledge
  • already held teach in academic or vocational contexts skill
  • already held urolithiasis in the urinary tract knowledge
The 6 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 education 1 required
  • still to learn scientific research methodology required
08 communication, collaboration and creativity 6 supplementary
  • optional, not held advise on rehabilitation exercises optional
  • optional, not held perform lectures optional
  • optional, not held assist in clinical trials optional
  • optional, not held offer advice on diet-related concerns optional
  • optional, not held prepare lesson content optional
  • optional, not held write research proposals optional
09 generic programmes and qualifications 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held research design optional
  • optional, not held scientific literature optional
10 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held scientific modelling optional
11 management skills 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held develop pharmaceutical drugs optional
12 services 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held ergonomics optional
29 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held advise on rehabilitation exercises optional
  • optional, not held assist in performing physical exercises optional
  • optional, not held assist patients with rehabilitation optional
  • optional, not held clinical immunopathology optional
  • optional, not held conduct experiments on animals optional
  • optional, not held develop scientific theories optional
  • optional, not held exercise physiology optional
  • optional, not held neuroscience optional
  • optional, not held perform lectures optional
  • optional, not held professional documentation in health care optional
  • optional, not held proteomics optional
  • optional, not held archive scientific documentation optional
  • optional, not held assess environmental impact optional
  • optional, not held assist in clinical trials optional
  • optional, not held clinical cytology optional
  • optional, not held develop patient treatment strategies optional
  • optional, not held develop pharmaceutical drugs optional
  • optional, not held develop scientific research protocols optional
  • optional, not held ergonomics optional
  • optional, not held gather experimental data optional
  • optional, not held life sciences optional
  • optional, not held occupational physiology optional
  • optional, not held offer advice on diet-related concerns optional
  • optional, not held prepare lesson content optional
  • optional, not held rehabilitation optional
  • optional, not held research design optional
  • optional, not held scientific literature optional
  • optional, not held scientific modelling optional
  • optional, not held write research proposals optional
136 held skills the physiologist role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role Interpret diagnostic procedures for vascular surgery skill
  • not needed by the target role address side effects of menopause skill
  • not needed by the target role administer immunotherapy skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on poisoning incidents skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on pregnancies at risk skill
  • not needed by the target role advise patients on infectious diseases when travelling skill
  • not needed by the target role allergology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role anaesthetics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role analyse X-ray imagery skill
  • not needed by the target role assess physical conditions of clients skill
  • not needed by the target role assist in epilepsy surgery skill
  • not needed by the target role assist in kidney transplant skill
  • not needed by the target role biological chemistry knowledge
  • not needed by the target role biological haematology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role browse, search and filter data, information and digital content skill
  • not needed by the target role cancer risks knowledge
  • not needed by the target role cardiology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role child psychiatry knowledge
  • not needed by the target role clinical biology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role clinical neurophysiology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role communicable diseases knowledge
  • not needed by the target role community medicine knowledge
  • 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 patch testing skill
  • not needed by the target role conduct research on reproductive medicine skill
  • not needed by the target role counsel patients on fertility treatments skill
  • not needed by the target role delegate emergency care skill
  • not needed by the target role demonstrate technical skills during neurological surgery skill
  • not needed by the target role dermato-venereology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role dermatology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role determine eye disease progression skill
  • not needed by the target role develop long-term treatment course for disorders in the glandular system skill
  • not needed by the target role diagnose brain death skill
  • not needed by the target role diagnose diseases of ear, nose, and throat skill
  • not needed by the target role diagnose diseases of the vascular system skill
  • not needed by the target role diagnose disorders of the urogenital system skill
  • not needed by the target role diagnose heart conditions skill
  • not needed by the target role diagnose respiratory diseases skill
  • not needed by the target role diagnose rheumatic diseases skill

96 further entries not listed here

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 biology required
  • still to learn histology required
  • still to learn human anatomy required
  • still to learn human physiology required
  • still to learn laboratory techniques required
  • still to learn scientific research methodology required
  • optional, not held clinical immunopathology optional
  • optional, not held exercise physiology optional
  • optional, not held neuroscience optional
  • optional, not held professional documentation in health care optional
  • optional, not held proteomics optional
  • optional, not held clinical cytology optional
  • optional, not held ergonomics optional
  • optional, not held life sciences optional
  • optional, not held occupational physiology optional
  • optional, not held rehabilitation optional
  • optional, not held research design optional
  • optional, not held scientific literature optional
  • optional, not held scientific modelling optional
Index
FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a specialised doctor become a physiologist?

Yes, and it is a moderate move. A specialised doctor already covers 60% of what a physiologist is expected to do: 42 skills carry over, 29 of which the physiologist role treats as required.

What skills does a specialised doctor need to become a physiologist?

12 required skills are missing, plus 29 optional ones. They fall into 12 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is apply safety procedures in laboratory.

How hard is the move from specialised doctor to physiologist?

Its learning distance is 54.4 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.