You Asked for It
July 2004

Question:

Hi,
I've heard about functional capacity evaluators and have been interested in becoming qualified. I found your listing on the internet and was wondering if you could give me any information at all. More or less I was just wondering if there is much of a demand for FCE and if you think it would be worth talking a course.

Sorry to bother you.
Kate.

Response:

(No bother. I didn’t know the answer, so I passed Kate’s question on to my colleague, Mike Harnett.)

Hello Kate,

Functional capacity evaluations are performed within a clinical setting, to determine what an individual's capabilities are in relationship to their job demands. It requires the use of specialized testing equipment in many instances, and is typically completed by OTs, PTs, or Kins. Several of these individuals are simply trained in-house by existing staff (such as the WCB), however, there are two primary certification courses that form the basis of all FCEs. One follows the Roy Matheson program and the other is the Susan Isernhagen program. The Isernhagen program has been around longer and is more active in Western Canada. Their website is http://iws.workwell.com/index.asp.

Matheson's program is making in-roads all across Canada and has courses coming up in Vancouver and Toronto. Their website is http://www.roymatheson.com.

One of these groups used to offer training out of Saskatoon (I'm pretty sure it was Matheson) but I'm not sure if they still do. Be aware, neither of these is cheap! While there is definitely a need for FCE services, it is not the type of service that is provided outside of a clinic.

I hope this helps. Feel free to contact me directly if you have any additional questions that I can help you with.

Mike Harnett
Director of Operations
WorkSMART
2nd Floor, 3304 Parsons Road
Edmonton, AB T6N 1B5
Tel: 780-414-6436
Toll Free: 1-866-414-6436
www.worksmart.ca

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