Functional Capacity Evaluations

Functional Capacity Evaluation referrals can come from your lawyer, your insurance adjustor, or your doctor when they are seeking clarity on your functioning. FCE’s can also be referred as Functional Abilities Evaluations (FAE). FCE’s will aim to answer questions posed by the referral source. Referral questions might be:

• Are there any limitations or risks of limitations to self-care and/or independent living skills?
• Are there particular types of employment functions with which my client will have difficulty given his/her injuries and effects of his/her injuries?
• Can I reasonably expect my client to be able to perform his/her pre-accident job duties given his/her current functional ability?
• My client is finding it difficult to return to work. Which job tasks are difficult for my client, given his/her injuries?
• Based on the results of their FCE, what line of work would my client be competitively employable?

Functional Capacity Evaluations are conducted by a qualified therapist, with specialized training, clinical experience, and often courtroom experience.  Karp’s FCE evaluators are Occupational Therapists or experienced Kinesiologists who have completed specialized training to become a certified FCE evaluator.

The Occupational Therapists are all licensed under the College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia and the Kinesiologists are licensed under the British Columbia Association of Kinesiologists.

At Karp, all of our FCE evaluators strive for positive outcomes for the client and uphold a standard of neutrality and client-centredness when completing FCE’s. During your FCE, it is important to provide your full effort throughout each aspect of the assessment as consistency of effort can impact the results.

Your FCE evaluator will meet with you at a Karp location. First, you will undergo an intake interview to allow your FCE evaluator to learn about your medical and social history, your perception of your current abilities, and your job description. You may be asked to fill out forms, such as a pain questionnaire or a chart that rates how often you perform certain activities at work.

The FCE evaluator will then conduct a number of standardized assessments targeting your physical body. This will include your joint range of motion and your ability to reach, grip, and lift, as it relates to your job demands. Your FCE evaluator will choose assessments that will help them answer the referral questions. Throughout the day, your FCE evaluator will observe how your injuries affect your performance, looking for consistency between your reported challenges at work and your assessment results to shed more light on your current level of functioning.

After performing the functional assessments, your FCE evaluator will then interpret your results to determine what types of activities you can safely perform at work. Next, your FCE evaluator will write a comprehensive report that indicates all information learned about your history, your job demands, and your functional test results. The report will include a comparison of your physical and job demands, and if these areas match. The report will also include recommendations for future interventions and answers to your referral questions.

Types of Functional Capacity Evaluations

At Karp, there are 3 types of FCE’s:

Mini FCE

The Mini FCE is used to guide rehabilitation. It can be completed within a portion of one day, making them convenient to schedule and attend. A mini FCE is a good fit for those with part-time positions or relatively light job demands. It may also be ideal if your injuries are limited to a specific limb or region of the body.

One-Day FCE

The One-Day FCE is the most common form of FCE and is used to determine if your current abilities match your job demands. The One-Day FCE can be completed over the length of one full-time work day. It is a good fit for those with full-time or moderately heavy job demands and includes testing of your strength, balance, dexterity, and mobility. Due to its length, the One-Day FCE can also ascertain your tolerance to sustained activity, whether you are prepared to return to working full days, and what further treatments, if any, may be needed first.

Two-Day FCE

The Two-Day FCE includes all the functional testing found in the smaller sizes, but also helps to determine your ability to maintain the speed and quality of your work on consecutive days and to manage your symptoms while working. This type of assessment is a good fit for those with highly demanding jobs, including those with long hours or unusually heavy demands.