The workplace - Rehabilitation Medicine Specialty Training Program

Rehabilitation Physicians spend most of their working hours on direct patient care. They accept ultimate responsibility for the rehabilitative care of their patients, however recognise and respect the necessity of interdisciplinary team care, especially when managing patients with permanent and complex disabilities. Because of the complexity of many of their patients, it is necessary to develop close professional relationships with other medical specialists, including neurosurgeons, orthopaedic surgeons, paediatric physicians and urologists, as well as nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech pathologists.

A Rehabilitation Physician plans, organises, administers and reviews management decisions relevant to the patient’s disability and potential for rehabilitation, and considers available resources and treatment options (e.g. pharmacological, surgical and physical treatments). They perform physical, functional and cognitive assessments, as well as coordinate discharge planning, community integration and follow up. Patients may receive rehabilitation in inpatient and outpatient settings, in acute hospitals, day hospitals or at home and the rehabilitation needs of each patient can be wide and varied.

Referrals often come from the community via general practitioners, or from hospitals and other specialists. Rehabilitation Physicians commonly see patients with conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system (e.g. amputation, joint replacement and back pain) and neurological disorders. Higher dependency on rehabilitation services often results from neurological disorders (e.g. stroke, brain, head or spinal cord injury, Bell's palsy, carpal tunnel syndrome, peripheral neuropathy, myasthenia gravis and Guillain-Barré syndrome). Many patients have to face a complex set of medical, symptomatic, employment and social issues, especially those with impaired cognitive function, disturbances in behaviour and/or physical disability, therefore an empathetic ear, patience and a “can-do” attitude are necessary qualities for Rehabilitation Physicians.

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Last modified: December 12, 2008 3:28 PM