Rehabilitation

When a person is admitted to the Burn Center, the patient’s whole life can be affected. The process of vocational rehabilitation, and the resulting vocational behavior, is dependent upon the characteristics of the injured person and by the person’s interpretation of the work place. The vocational, social, and emotional aspects of a burn injury are intimately connected. The rehabilitation counselor’s role on the Burn Team is to assess the needs and potentials of the patient and the family in the rehabilitation process. The rehabilitation counselor provides services to the patient and family while they are at the Burn Center and when they return to outpatient clinic for follow up appointments. The aim is to provide the patient’s eventual return to potential functioning.

The Rehabilitation Counselor can:

• coordinate, facilitate, and advocate the delivery of services under an individualized plan with the goal of assisting the injured worker to return to suitable employment
• listen
• help the patient cope with changes a burn injury brings with it
• provide disability management and counseling
• identify potential barriers to rehabilitation
• assess the significant employability factors of the burn patient
• develop a vocational plan for work reentry
• provide information on Worker’s Compensation
• initiate return to work options
• assist with discharge planning
• provide communication and education to employers, case managers, an dothers about the nature of the burn injury and its impact on the patient.

If you have not yet met our Rehabilitation Counselor or have questions about any of these services, please call 984-974-1622.