It’s been an interesting few years regarding employee/employer relations and the physical therapy (PT) profession. Flawed policies and workplace inequities, including workplace safety, are now being called out and addressed. In our profession, PT students and new graduates are more vocal and adept than ever, pushing for changes to make PT the financially rewarding, long-term career they’ve envisioned. What do general workplace relations and the physical therapy profession have in common? They both benefit from the field of Occupational Health. While many physical therapists are choosing to open cash-based, mobile, and concierge clinics to ensure they receive fair compensation, Occupational Health remains an underutilized practice model that has the potential to offer consistent and substantial revenue. More time and money must be spent upstream before employee injuries occur. As a direct result of this increased call for workplace injury prevention, the AOPT has created the Occupational Health Practitioner (OHP) certification. It is a 3-part self-study course that includes mentorship and ends with a capstone project. Occupational Health is SO MUCH MORE than just workers' compensation injuries and facilitating return to work; it's deeply connected to Total Worker Health® and presents a valuable opportunity to broaden your professional expertise. To create synergistic solutions that benefit both employees and employers while reducing the need for medical intervention, physical therapists must become advocates for workers. The Occupational Health Practitioner certification equips you with the necessary tools to be a successful provider for employees in the workplace.

Research and Experience Confirm What You Already Know

Here’s why becoming a Certified Occupational Health Practitioner and partnering directly with employers makes sense:

1. There are 145 million workers in the United States, and most spend at least half of their active time at work.1
2. According to the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), businesses see a $2 to $6 return for every dollar invested in workplace safety programs.
3. Thirty percent of workplace injuries fall under the categories of overexertion, awkward postures, and repetitive strain injuries, amounting to $19 billion in costs that Occupational Health can directly impact.2
4. Research strongly suggests that on-site treatment options positively impact both costs and treatment outcomes.3
5. When patients with acute low back pain receive PT first—rather than following usual care or delayed PT—there is a reduction in health service utilization, costs, and opioid use at both the 30-day and one-year marks.4
6. Medical expertise may be less helpful in effective return-to-work coordination than skills in conflict resolution, ergonomic analysis, job accommodation, and team correspondence.5 When working in Occupational Health, you are often the linchpin that connects all the stakeholders allowing a streamlined recovery and return-to-work for the employee.

Occupational Health is an Employee-centric Service

Trained Occupational Health Practitioners can prevent or reduce the severity of work-related injuries. They also provide immediate services like ergonomic evaluations, early intervention, and necessary care on-site, eliminating the need for employees to seek out care on their own or travel to a designated clinic. Given that workers spend about half of their day commuting and at work, the chances of them seeking medical help outside of work are fairly low. Physical therapists already possess the musculoskeletal proficiency needed to screen and treat employees or make appropriate referrals for imaging or medical consultation. Adding Occupational Health expertise equips you with the additional knowledge to PREVENT injuries from happening in the first place and minimize the need for care. As you venture into Occupational Health services, relying solely on the skills you've honed in traditional care models may be tempting, but resist that urge. The OHP certification will reveal countless opportunities to positively impact safety at employer sites unrelated to clinical care.

Finally, a physical therapist can work upstream from injuries, affecting changes before they occur. The practice model and continuing education courses are well established and growing. By earning an Occupational Health Practitioner (OHP) Certification, you can free your practice from the constraints of traditional insurance headaches with a wealth of new tools such as: Functional Job Analysis, Job Fitness Exams, Job Coaching, Early Intervention, Workplace Wellness, and Work Rehabilitation. These tools advance worker participation and well-being from hiring to retirement.

Revitalize Your Physical Therapist Focus

I've spent over 20 years in Occupational Health and have no intention of returning to the traditional insurance billing model. I’ve had the privilege of being embedded in the workforce across the aerospace, beverage, manufacturing, and distribution industries. Every day brings new learning experiences and the chance to meet workers across the country and worldwide. Discovering Occupational Health revitalized my career after I had grown weary of the conventional brick-and-mortar clinic model.

Summary

As Josh Prall and colleagues noted, "It is important to ensure that payers, employers, and employees are aware of the crucial role physical therapists can play in occupational health. Physical therapists also need to advocate for their role in occupational health and continue to offer expert care to workers in a nontraditional manner."3 The Occupational Health Practitioner certification is the catalyst to expand your practice, rejuvenate your career, make a lasting impact on your patients, and break free from the insurance reimbursement model.

References

1. National Institutes of Health. Pathways to Prevention (P2) Program. https://prevention.nih.gov/research-priorities/research-needs-and-gaps/pathways-prevention/total-worker-healthr-whats-work-got-do-it
2. Liberty Mutual Insurance. Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index 2021.Accessed August 13, 2024. https://business.libertymutual.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021_WSI_1000_R2.pdf
3. Prall J, Ross M. The management of work-related musculoskeletal injuries in an occupational health setting: the role of the physical therapist. J Exerc Rehabil. 2019;15(2):193-199. doi:10.12965/jer.1836636.318
4. Arnold E, La Barrie J, DaSilva L, Patti M, Goode A, Clewley D. The effect of timing of physical therapy for acute low back pain on health services utilization: a systematic review. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2019;100:1324–1338. 5. Shaw W, Hong QN, Pransky G, Loisel P. A literature review describing the role of return-to-work coordinators in trial programs and interventions designed to prevent workplace disability. J Occup Rehabil. 2008;18(1):2-15. doi:10.1007/s10926-007-9115-y

Key Words: injury prevention, occupational health, physical therapy, workplace

Conflict of Interest: Author of the book, The On-Site Physical Therapist: Direct-To-Employer Care

Author Bio

Christine McCallum, PT, DPT, received her Master of Physical Therapy at The University of Southern California and her transitional DPT from Regis University in Denver. She owns and operates a small physical therapist practice that specializes in Occupational Health and D2E services and consulting. Chris is a long-standing member of the American Physical Therapy Association, is also a member of the Private Practice Section, Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy and the Occupational Health Special Interest Group. In 2023, she took on the role of PR Chairperson for the OHSIG and her book “The On-Site Physical Therapist: Direct-To-Employer Care” (Gatekeeper Press, Tampa) was published on September 19, 2023.