The Roles and Functions of Rehabilitation Specialists in the Private Sector

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Abstract
A national survey was conducted in order to identify the roles and functions of rehabilitation specialists working in the private sector. Participants consisted of 155 randomly selected members of the National Association of Rehabilitation Professionals in the Private Sector (NARPPS) who employed or worked with an additional 695 rehabilitation specialists, such that, a total of 850 persons participated in the survey. Participants were mailed the Rehabilitation Specialist Task Inventory (RSTI) which was developed for this investigation. A total of 283 persons responded which yielded 254 usable questionnaires which represented responses from 84 graduates of accredited rehabilitation programs, 50 rehabilitation nurses, and 120 other private rehabilitation practitioners. Factor analysis of the RSTl revealed 122 tasks distributed across five major work role categories: (1) Planning and Coordinating Client Services, (2) Business and Office Management, (3) Job Development and Placement, (4) Diagnostic Assessment, and (5) Other Professional Activities. Rational sorting of the items contained in the first three work role categories yielded 15 sub-groupings; six in the first, four in the second, and five in the third category. Data were analyzed for the five work role categories, as well as for each task item, using one-way analysis of variance and Duncan's post hoc tests. Participants were also divided in terms of whether or not they were Certified Rehabilitation Counselors. The t statistic was used to compare responses between CRCs and Non-CRCs on the five work role categories. Results and their implications were discussed for the roles and functions of the three groups of private rehabilitation specialists, as well as for CRCs and Non-CRCs, relative to task importance and frequency of task performance.

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