Industrial physical therapists (IPTs) are working as external consultants with business and industry to provide injury prevention and/or rehabilitation services. This consulting presents a very new practice setting for therapists and requires specialized nonclinical competencies. The purpose of this study was to identify these nonclinical competencies.

The research was based on an evaluation research model using a stakeholder group. Stakeholders represented 5 groups: 1) IPTs, 2) continuing education providers, 3) business and industry employers of IPTs, 4) safety/risk managers, and 5) human resource development professionals. Thirty-five nonclinical competencies were identified through qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with 17 subject matter experts representing the 5 groups. The competencies addressed marketing, program planning, managing the consulting process, training, and understanding organizations.

This list of nonclinical competencies may serve as a self-assessment tool that IPTs can use to help plan their professional development. It may also facilitate planning continuing education programs for IPTs.

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 1993;18(6):673-681.

Key Words: competencies, industrial physical therapy

Adapted from Hart DL, Peters M, Schlimmer D, Trinkle KL: Guidelines for the Use of Functional Measurements: Reference Manual for Functional Capacity Evaluations, Virginia: The Task Force on Objective Functional Measurements, 1990, with permission.

Functional capacity evaluation is an important and widely available service provided by rehabilitation professionals, including many physical therapists. In the absence of agreed-upon professional standards, guidelines for practice have been developed.

These guidelines provide a basis for the development of standards of practice that the authors believe should be undertaken on an interdisciplinary basis. These guidelines provide a baseline level of care that should be maintained by physical therapists and others who provide functional capacity evaluation services.

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 1993;18(6):682-686.

Key Words: industrial rehabilitation, functional capacity evaluation, guidelines

This research was supported by the US Army Medical Specialist Corps as part of LTC Bryan's Long-Term Civilian Training Program to earn her PhD in Human Resource Development. The opinions or assertions in this research are the private views of the authors and are not to be construed as official or reflecting the views of the United States Army, the Department of Defense, or the United States government. Consulting with business and industry represents a very new world for physical therapists — a world in which most have had little formal academic preparation. Some competencies in consulting in occupational health physical therapy are beyond specific clinical skills and knowledge. The purpose of this research was to survey occupational health physical therapists (OHPTs) concerning a previously identified list of nonclinical competencies in consulting with business and industry. The survey addressed how OHPTs rated the importance of these competencies, how they rated their own level of competence for each, and how they developed these competencies. The survey sample was based on members of the American Physical Therapy Association Orthopaedic Section's Special Interest Group in Occupational Health Physical Therapy. The response rate was 98% (61/62). Mean importance of competencies was 3.66/4.00 (range 3.00-3.88), which further validated the list of nonclinical competencies. The mean level of competence was 3.17/4.00 (range 2.40-3.50). The mean importance of individual competencies was consistently higher than level of competence. This discrepancy is of practical significance in terms of professional development of OHPTs consulting with business and industry. Primary sources of competence were practical experience (59.87%) and continuing education for physical therapists (15.51%). These results may indicate that current continuing education programs are not meeting OHPTs' educational needs and may serve as a basis for developing programs to better meet these needs. The survey instrument may help OHPTs identify and prioritize their own educational needs and to plan their own professional development accordingly.

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 1994;19(5):305-311.

Key Words: competencies, occupational health, physical therapists