Online

Thursday, May 30, 2024 & Friday, May 31, 2024
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)

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A comprehensive functional assessment by an experienced occupational therapist assists in identifying person and environmental factors that influence return-to-work (RTW) outcomes.  Fundamentals include evaluation of effort, assessment of reliability of client symptom reports, and incorporation of subjective data (e.g., Patient-Related Outcome Measures) and objective findings (e.g., standardized and non-standardized measures) that incorporates work-specific activity to help establish validity, identify functional barriers, establish potential accommodations or rehabilitation interventions, and set the stage for successful return-to-work outcomes. The integration and analysis of cognitive occupational demands against function and feasibility for employment enables the practitioner to form a well-developed return-to-work plan with identification of measurable limitations and tangible accommodations that support and incorporate mental health and cognitive considerations, with the ultimate goal of promoting client success.  

With utilization of a standardized methodology that focuses on ecologically valid measures, evaluation of functional cognition, work-related executive functioning, mental health factors, and activity tolerance, occupational therapists are in a unique position to determine capacity for RTW, guide rehabilitation interventions, and assist with return-to-work planning for clients (i.e., developing, monitoring and adapting the RTW plan) with identified cognitive and psycho-emotional deficits.

Workshop topics

This two half-day online workshop will employ lecture, case study, group discussion, video and Q&A to review the following key topics:

1. Comprehensive Functional Capacity Evaluation methodology (C-FCE): Introduction to a consistent methodology that considers both the client's presenting abilities and limitations (i.e., client specific) and essential cognitive and psychological job demands (i.e., employment specific) to maximize the ecological validity and reliability of the assessment findings, clinical reasoning and conclusions.
2. Evaluation of physical and cognitive effort and reliability of client self-report of pain and disability:  Overview of why these factors are critical to the assessment in terms of establishing validity of the results and reliance on subjective data when forming conclusions on clinical findings and suitability to return to work.
3. Cognitive and psychological demands of work: Introduction and overview of resources and approaches to analyze the cognitive and psychological demands of employment.
4. Work-specific attention, executive functioning, activity tolerance and psycho-emotional factors:  Overview of cognitive and psycho-emotional domains and how to evaluate these areas as part of a C-FCE.  How do we determine if there is a suitable match for RTW in terms of functional cognition and psycho-emotional status?

1. Return-to-work (RTW) planning: Review of current resources and legislation that govern RTW principles and duty to accommodate.  Review of critical factors to consider when creating, monitoring and adapting a graduated return-to-work (GRTW) plan for clients with a constellation of physical, cognitive and/or psycho-emotional factors.  A GRTW plan will be developed based on homework review, break out groups and larger group discussion with provision of a GRTW sample plan and report.
2. Discussion and Collaboration: Group Q & A regarding functional evaluation, effort and reliability, job demands analyses, RTW planning, frequent challenges or barriers, and the role of the occupational therapist in the interdisciplinary team.

Preliminary workshop agenda

Day 1 (May 30, 2024): Foundations of functional evaluation and RTW considerations

Day 2 (May 31, 2024): Clinical application and case study

Learning objectives

By the end of this workshop, you will be able to:

1. Be familiar with methods to determine and measure cognitive and psychosocial/psycho-emotional demands of a job.
2. Understand the importance of evaluation of physical and cognitive effort and reliability of self-report and methods to evaluate these areas.
3. Be aware of some assessment tools to address cognitive deficits, mental health issues, and other standardized and non-standardized tests that maximize ecological validity and suitability for work-specific activity. 
4. Be familiar with patient-related outcome measures that are indicated for clients with functional cognitive deficits and mental health factors.
5. Be able to define types of attention and executive function and consider operational definitions within the C-FCE.
6. Be able to target and evaluate activity tolerance and work endurance for clients with cognitive and mental health issues.
7. Be familiar with critical factors to consider when creating, monitoring and adapting a RTW plan for clients with a constellation of physical, cognitive and/or psycho-emotional factors. 
8. Be able to apply a consistent methodology to a case study with consideration for measures of effort and reliability, cognitive and psycho-emotional job demands, test selection, and clinical reasoning and analysis to establish recommendations for accommodations and form an opinion on capacity to return to work

Target audience

Intermediate or advanced occupational therapist clinicians who wish to develop their skills in assessment of client’s cognitive and psycho-emotional functioning and assist with determination of suitability for return to work and/or assist with return-to-work planning and monitoring. A foundational knowledge of cognition, psycho-emotional assessment and rehabilitation is recommended.

Please note: Registrants of this workshop in 2022 will find that there are some minor changes, but retention of foundations, methodology and clinical practice. If you are newly practicing in this area or wish to further consolidate and refine your clinical practice, you may benefit from attending the workshop in 2023. Each participant is responsible to ensure they apply the information within the context of their licensure, provincial/territorial legislations, institution regulations, scope of practice, etc.

Client age group

Adolescents (13-19 years old), Adults (20-64 years old)

Areas of practice

Mental Health, Cognition, Return to Work, Brain Injury / Concussion, Workplace Health & Safety Medical Legal Services

Workshop level

Intermediate (3-5 years of experience in this specific practice area) 

Please note: Participants with more or less than this stated level of experience are welcome to attend the workshop. The workshop content will be geared towards those with 3-5 years experience in this area of practice.

Presenter

Tania L. M. Percy, B.A., B.Sc.OT, Reg. OT (BC)

Tania Percy has been working as a consultant occupational therapist with Progressive Rehab OrionHealth for approximately 20 years. Tania also worked in Ontario as a consultant occupational therapist for approximately 5 years. She has certification as a Work Capacity Evaluator (CWCE, 1998), is a Certified Cost of Future Care/Life Care Planner (Advanced, 2018), and has been accepted as an expert witness at the Supreme Court level as an occupational therapist providing expert opinion on functional capacity, work capacity and cost of future care. Tania is the clinical instructor for Cognitive Functional Capacity Evaluation and for the Cost of Future Care/Life Care Planning Certification Program with Matheson Education and Training Solutions.  Tania also provides education and clinical development in the areas of cost of future care, work capacity, brain and spinal cord injury, cognitive functional capacity evaluation and pain (CAOT, WorkSafe BC, RMA/METS). 

Registration fees

Early bird rates: Registration and payment completed by February 21, 2024

Regular rates: Registration and payment completed after February 21, 2024

Registration deadline: May 30, 2024 at 9:59 a.m. (Eastern Time)

Please note that CAOT does not offer group registration fees. Pending sufficient space, CAOT offers late registration for workshops at the regular rate plus a $50 administration fee until 11:59 p.m. (Pacific time) two days prior to the workshop start date to ensure registrants receive access to the workshop login details and materials in the reminder email. 

*It may be more cost effective to become a CAOT Member or Associate rather than pay the non-member rate. See “Can a non-member register for a Workshop?” in our Professional Development FAQs to know which membership category you are eligible for.  

Included in your registration fee:

Online workshop, access to the recording for a period of 14 days following the workshop, electronic copy of presentation slide handouts, opportunity to network and make connections with other occupational therapists interested in this topic, electronic certificate of attendance.

Cancellation/refund policy

All cancellation/refund requests must be sent in writing to education@caot.ca. All cancellation requests received by August 7, 2024 will be given a full refund minus a $50.00 administrative fee. All cancellation/refund requests between August 8 and 14, 2024 will be given a 50% refund. No refunds will be given after August 14, 2024. Substitutions and transfers requests received by August 14, 2024 are permitted and are subject to a $50.00 administrative fee.

If you are exceptionally unable to complete the workshop, please reach out to education@caot.ca by 25 days following the end of the workshop for extended access to the recording (up to one month after the end of the workshop) or a one-time transfer to another offering of the same workshop if currently open for registration. 

CAOT reserves the right to modify the workshop title, description, registration dates and information on the workshop webpage. CAOT will notify participants on or before July 12, 2024 if there is insufficient registration by that date and reserves the right to cancel a Workshop due to insufficient registration up until July 26, 2024. CAOT reserves the right to modify the offering, interrupt Workshops, change the timing of a Workshop, cancel a Workshop or change the technology for the Workshop due to the presenter no longer being able to present the Workshop, severe weather, power failure, building closures or other special circumstances that are beyond the control of CAOT by notifying participants as soon as possible. If the Workshop is cancelled by CAOT, registrants will receive a full refund of the registration fee. CAOT will not be responsible for other costs or expenses incurred by registrants as a result of any such changes.

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