Utilization of the functional capacity evaluation in vocational rehabilitation

Abstract

Identifying the functional capacities of the individual beset by a physical disability and the role physical limitations play in employment, are a primary concern of the rehabilitation counselor. Physicians and allied health professionals are qualified to identify current physical functional level and to clinically manage the injured worker. If a return of the individual to pre-injury employment is not possible, rehabilitation counselors provide vocational training to identify feasible occupational alternatives. Use of a functional capacity evaluation can aid the rehabilitation counselor in determining the physical capabilities of his/her client, and help identify potential barriers in the workplace. Defining the functional capacity evaluation with an examination of its strengths and weaknesses will help determine its use in the field of vocational rehabilitation. The specialized training of rehabilitation counselors that enables them to translate medical information into vocational information makes them the ideal professionals to define the worker's functional ability.