Advanced Certificate in Return to Work (ACRTW)

The Advanced Certificate in Return to Work is targeted at professionals who already have an undergraduate degree in a field other than disability management and some work experience related to workplace health science. It offers qualified applicants who wish to achieve a specialized academic credential in the field of return to work with an opportunity to obtain a credential in this area. The Advanced Certificate is offered at the undergraduate level and provides students with an understanding of the required conceptual frameworks and their application to return to work. It equips them with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to enable them to work within the specific area of return to work for ill or injured workers.

Students who successfully complete the Advanced Certificate will have the competences for successful performance of the range of specialized activities required to achieve successful return to work outcomes in complex and non-routine settings for people with both physical and psychological health conditions. Specifically, it is designed to develop the competences that are required to help individual workers return to work after a temporary or permanent impairment and to assist the organizations and other actors to provide effective supports and interventions to retain a worker with a health condition in his or her current position or workplace or to return to work after long term absence.

There are two streams of the ACRTW: Stream 1 is focused on Canadian Perspectives and Stream 2 includes International Perspectives on return to work.

• Stream 1 – Canadian Perspectives, comprises 30 specialized credits selected from the Bachelor of Disability Management degree that are specifically related to return to work.
• Stream 2 – International Perspectives, comprises 24 credits selected from the Bachelor of Disability Management degree specific to return to work plus 6 credits that are specific to international issues related to return to work.

Students will decide which stream of the ACRTW they wish to register in once they are accepted into the program. Students who decide to complete the full BDM program will receive credit for their studies in the ACRTW.

In addition to a required introductory course which covers an overview of the field and practice of disability management, the program includes courses that address disability, work and the law; physical and mental health impairments and work retention; job analysis, assessment reports, accommodation technology and ergonomics; interviewing skills for helping professions, case management and service coordination and ethics; and workplace insurance and benefits. International courses focus on international policies, international best practices and guidelines, and international system and organizational issues that shape opportunities for return to work.

The general admission procedure for the ACRTW requires applicants to submit a portfolio that consists of:

• Personal details;
• personal profile, that includes a written statement by the prospective student of reasons for seeking admission;
• An academic profile with Official Transcripts from the applicant’s previous degree at Bachelor level;
• If available, a description of relevant work experience;
• Copies of certificates of training.

ACRTW Flexible Admission
Applicants who have not completed an undergraduate degree can apply to the ACRTW using a flexible admissions procedure. The purpose of the flexible admissions route is to provide applicants with an opportunity to demonstrate that they have undertaken formal and informal learning at a level comparable to university undergraduate study in the course of their careers. This can include academic and professional education, scholarship, research and innovation.

The flexible admission procedure for the ACRTW requires the applicant to submit a Portfolio that consists of:

• Personal details;
• Personal profile, that includes a written statement by the prospective student of reasons for seeking admission;
• Evidence of academic knowledge and skills such as academic courses completed or training and professional education and / or work experience in which scholarship, research, innovation and development activities were carried out;
• A folder of evidence of high credibility supported by third party authentication including employment experience, and / or published papers or formal presentations and / or other relevant evidence of academic ability;
• A profile of work experience relevant to workplace health sciences.

International applicants must also provide evidence of proficiency in English. A list of ways that English language proficiency can be demonstrated is provided below.

• 4 consecutive years in secondary English in an English-speaking country;
• BC English or Literature 12 or Canadian equivalent;
• Completed international baccalaureate;
• A degree or diploma from a post-secondary institution in an English-speaking country;
• First year of Canadian university English;
• Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL) at level 70 or higher;
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) at level 6.5 or higher;
• Michigan English Language Assessment Battery MELAB at level 85 or higher;
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) internet at level 90 or higher;
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) paper test – at least 55 each for Reading, Listening and Writing.

There is currently a shortage of qualified, competent and certified disability management practitioners. Workplaces are focusing on better return to work outcomes for employees. Positions in disability management programs are expanding rapidly in North America, Europe, and elsewhere as employers realize the benefits of a professionally developed workplace-based program.

Prospective places of employment include:
• Employers
• Unions
• Government
• Workers compensation boards
• Insurance companies
• Disability Management service providers

Employees responsible for disability management may also have other responsibilities such as:
• Human Resources
• Health & Safety
• Health & Wellness Promotion
• Employee Benefits

As disability management principles are embraced by small and medium-sized firms, there is an opportunity for experienced professionals to establish their own businesses, offering disability management contract services to local employers.