Most independent professionals strive for two primary goals: A personally satisfying career, and a skill set that provides value to the market. The first goal is self explanatory, whereas the second ensures job security and uninhibited flow of income.

An Industrial Therapist can achieve both of these goals – by focusing on Functional Capacity Assessments for local industry. These assessments provide the following 4 essential benefits to employers, making the therapist an indispensable part of the hiring and employee retention process.

1. Physical aptitude screens reduce overhead expenses. Physical aptitude screens and Prior-to-Hire Assessments measure a prospective employee’s ability to perform work adequately. After instituting the screens, one paper manufacturer reported a decrease in Workers’ Compensation premiums, from $3 million down to $800,000 in just one year.
2. Lost work days at the same company decreased from 520 to just 26 in the same time period. Lower risk of injury also translates to lower employee turnover.
3. Prior-to-hire screens decrease the rate of injuries. The rate of back injuries at one Nebraska hospital decreased by 53 percent, from one year to the next, after new hires underwent KEY Prior-to-Hire screens.
4. Identify high-risk employees. Data on 247 new hires revealed that of those identified as “safe” or “caution” hires, a low rate of injuries was reported over the first 18 months of their work records. However, for “high risk” hires (that were hired in spite of their rating) the rate of injury was 42 percent, demonstrating the accuracy and predictability of the KEY Method identification screens.

KEY Assessment Methodology is reliable and defensible. Return-to-Work Functional Assessments include screens to detect employee dishonesty as it relates to their level of effort during capability testing, creating a high degree of reliability of results.

The KEY Functional Assessment process is legally defensible, an important consideration in today’s litigious environment.

Get in touch with us at KEY for more information on providing functional assessments, along with the numerous benefits to both the Therapists and Employers. A career that provides demonstrable value both personally and professionally is a career that is here to stay!