23rd September 2009
WorkMatters, a sister organisation to Unum, one of the UK’s leading group risk providers, is pleased to announce the results of its 2009 Certified Disability Management Professional examination (CDMP) with the success of 15 occupational rehabilitation professionals who have graduated this year.
This year’s graduates bring the total number of qualified paractitioners in the UK to 49 and they join over 800 other Certified Disability Management Professionals worldwide. The CDMP is administered by the International Disability Management Standards Council and recognises the rehabilitation practitioner’s expertise in disability management and occupational rehabilitation.
The examination also provides a great opportunity for practitioners to demonstrate how they are meeting new guidance on managing long-term sickness absence and incapacity for work, recently issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
Beth Rose Pratt, Certified Vocational Rehabilitation Consultant, Unum, said: “I’m delighted that I was offered this opportunity and since undertaking the study I have increased my skill base as both an occupational therapist and vocational rehabilitation practitioner. I feel that I now have a greater understanding of how to effectively manage the absence process, from the importance of initial, effective absence recording through to appropriate assistance when the individual is returning to work.”
The certification is recognised in Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Austria, Hong Kong and Switzerland. Applicants come from a wide range of professional backgrounds including: psychology, nursing and occupational therapy, health and medicine. CDMP is also linked to the occupational rehabilitation training programme which WorkMatters has introduced into a number of UK universities.
Joy Reymond, Head of Rehabilitation and Health Management Services at Unum commented: “the occupational training programme delivered through the universities and the CDMP certification will deliver increased knowledge and expertise to the candidates, which in turn, should result in them helping more people back to work. We hope that more candidates are encouraged to take the next examination, to be held in May 2010.”
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