The Rehabilitation Therapy Service within Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and Health Centers has an operational need to provide physical therapy Functional Capacity Test evaluation (FCT) services in Industrial Rehabilitation (Ergonomic Rehabilitation) Division. The Ergonomic division provides ergonomic assessment, equipment and education, job simulations and disability testing for physicians completing disability applications as a standard test for recipients' strength and weaknesses. The Department has determined that the Physical Therapist II position would better serve Industrial Rehabilitation instead of the current position of Occupational Therapist II which does not perform this type of rehabilitation services.   
  
Position number #7558 is an Occupational Therapist II position in Ergonomic division of Rehabilitation services that is staffed with a mixture of Physical Therapist and Occupational Therapist who are responsible for job site analysis recommendations and equipment and department remodels and FCT evaluations for fitness for work disability applications. Both areas require specific training and knowledge to perform. The Occupational Therapist who filled this position covered the FCT evaluations and part of this test requires a Physical Therapist to do physical range of motion and strength testing. The current practice is to schedule additional staff to come in to perform the FCT evaluations which means longer patient care wait time and longer therapist to patient appointment care time. Therefore, having this position already in the unit would make FCT evaluations a smoother process for patients in need of this testing and patient care will be improved with this change in efficiency.   
  
The Ergo division is involved in many projects and has an ongoing list of FCT evaluations, which are scheduled timely to meet disability hearings and return to work deadlines. A dedicated Physical Therapist would help to streamline the process and this exchange will enhance the patient's experience as well as patient care services. The exchange of he Occupational Therapist II position for the Physical Therapist will have no fiscal affect an will be a fluid fiscal exchange.