A DAY IN THE LIFE
Introduction
As a Workplace Rehabilitation Consultant, your role will be assisting injured workers return to work with their original employer. To do this you will be required to assess the workplace, attend case conferences and liaise with all relevant stakeholders (e.g. doctors, employers, insurers and injured workers) of the process.
If a return to their original workplace is not possible or suitable you will be working with your clients to apply for jobs, calling potential employers and ‘reverse marketing’ your clients and liaising with clients to ensure they are also actively job seeking.
Meeting with clients
You will typically meet with a range of clients each day and your focus will be to coach clients towards achieving independent job seeking skills, motivating them to towards returning to work and helping them apply for suitable jobs. You may also travel to attend medical case conferences or attend a worksite meeting with a potential employer.
You will complete assessments such as, but not limited to:
- Initial workplace assessments
- Ergonomic assessments
- Activities of daily living assessments (OTs)
- Functional capacity assessments
Your focus will be on understanding the worker’s injury, workplace environment, prognosis and treatment plan, to assist in developing a graded return to work plan.
Report writing
Reports are a service requirement and setting time aside to complete them in a timely manner is important. Some consultants set blocks of time during the day for report writing or have a dedicated report writing day each week.
Communication with stakeholders
On a daily basis you will liaise with a number of stakeholders whether it be face to face, via phone or email. You will be communicating with clients, insurance agents and case managers, treating doctors, employers and treatment providers.
Achieving KPIs
Most likely you will be working towards meeting key performance indicators (KPIs), such as:
- RTW outcomes: you will dedicate specific time for job seeking activities / dedicate time to proactive case management with the goal of achieving a timely and sustainable return to work.
- Billing / revenue: to capture all the investment you are dedicating towards your clients, you will bill relevant activities on a daily basis.
Administration
Like many roles there will be an element of administrative work, in particular letter writing, reports and billing.