Is it possible to obtain a work clearance certificate even if I still have the stitches?

The answer lies in your occupation. For desk jobs, it is mostly yes. But for food handling or swimming instruction, you can generally not work with an unhealed wound. A doctor can issue a certificate accompanied by the limitations stipulated (e.g. "Wound must be covered" or "Only dry duties").

Is a "Fit to Work" note necessary, or do I only need a sick note?

If the leave taken is solely sick leave, a standard medical certificate will suffice. Nevertheless, if an employee returns to a risky role after being injured, the employer will almost certainly request a specific "Fit to Work" or "Clearance" certificate that explicitly states the employee is safe to perform the work.

Can a telehealth doctor give me clearance for lifting heavy items?

A telehealth doctor will be prudent when issuing this kind of permission. The doctor can, however, issue you a clearance if they consider your recovery regimen and observe that you can move adequately. Yet, if your employer's insurer decides to require a physical strength test, the doctor will recommend that you see the physiotherapist or occupational physician in person.

What can I do if my employer refuses to accept my certificate for light-duty work?

The employer must make reasonable adjustments, but is not obligated to create a job. Therefore, if they are unable to support your certificate restrictions, they are allowed to put you on sick leave until you can perform your complete duties again.

Return to Work Fitness Certificates After Injury or Surgery

Introduction

Physical capability, in most cases, determines an individual's value within a workforce, especially in Australia. Tradespeople need their bodies to get on with the business of construction; nurses have to deliver patient care at the bedside during their shifts; and office workers who perform data-entry tasks that are ergonomically demanding rely most on their bodies, too. As a result, even "minor" injuries, such as an ankle sprain from a run, a stitched wound, or simple day-surgery recovery, may cause significant professional setbacks.

Coming back to work after an injury is not always easy. While a surgeon or emergency doctor may focus on repairing an injury at the time, they may still choose to leave the patient's return-to-work to the General Practitioner. Employers, on the other hand, can't take an employee's word that they are ready to work, since employers are directly responsible for their employees' safety. They also need formal medical confirmation that the worker is physically able to perform their work safely without re-injury or risk to others' safety.

Prime Medic supports discussions around return-to-work documentation following injury or minor surgery. Through our telehealth platform, our AHPRA-registered doctors may issue work capacity certificates after injury or minor surgery, where clinically appropriate. They can also do it without compromising patient mobility by avoiding in-person clinic visits, while considering relevant workplace and regulatory requirements, ensuring that safety is identified and prioritised, and that administration is reasonably straightforward.

When Minor Injuries Affect Work Capability

Even though some people believe that only severely injured employees need to provide sick leave or return to work documents, minor injuries tend to produce more complicated issues because an injured worker who is neither very sick nor completely healthy is in a sort of working limbo between the two, not quite capable of performing to work and yet still "too well" to stay home.

The Spectrum of Limitation

Occupational safety evaluations assess functional capacity. Therefore, even a minor injury could put a particular job role or profession at risk.

A teacher can get by with a sprained wrist, which is just a slight inconvenience for them, but a carpenter or bricklayer stays completely at the mercy of their sprained wrist, which is, in their case, a total incapacity. They pose significant safety risks due to an inability to hold, lift, or carry weight.
When stitches or surgical glue from a minor surgical incision (e.g., cyst removal) remain, caution is always necessary to avoid infection. In settings such as food processing, healthcare, or cleaning, where an open or healing wound is considered dirty/waste, standards must not be violated; thus, the issue of minor-injury work restrictions arises.
Use of crutches or a "walking boot" as a result of a foot injury can cause a hazard in places that are cluttered, such as warehouses or kitchens. The employee may have confidence in their ability, but the premises may not have been designed to accommodate their mobility aids.
After minor surgery, the patient is usually prescribed pain relief medications (such as strong analgesics) that cause drowsiness as a side effect, which may affect suitability for driving or operating machinery, regardless of how the injury is feeling.

The first step in protecting your work is to identify safety-sensitive tasks. This may help clarify appropriate work limitations during recovery. Have an online conversation with a doctor to share your limitations, if any.

Employer Documentation After Minor Procedures

In cases where an employee has undergone a minor surgical procedure, such as gastroscopy, dental surgery, or skin excision, they are usually discharged the same day. What "discharged home" means, though, is not 'ready for work."' Employers will therefore expect employees to provide accurate, detailed information so they can manage the absence and the employee's subsequent return.

The "Reasonable Evidence" Standard

Under the Fair Work Act 2009, the employer is entitled to request evidence sufficient to convince a reasonable person that the employee is unable to work.

Hospital discharge summaries are clinical documents that contain confidential medical information. On Thursday, they are usually not the appropriate documents to be handed to the employer. A minor procedure medical certificate is a filter that administratively separates the clinical event and translates it into workplace language (e.g., "Unfit for 48 hours" instead of detailing the surgical findings).
The employer's issue concerns the duration of the employee's inability to work. Will postoperative anesthesia require the employee to take two tablets off? Can an employee perform the dry duties while a wound heals in 7 days? A generic "sick note" usually doesn't contain such details.
Duty of Care: An employer who allows the employee to return to work prematurely and whose wound opens and bleeds may have to face a claim of a workplace injury. This is why a "clearance" certificate is required: it allows them to return the risk assessment to a medical professional.

You ensure your leave is standards-compliant and free of disagreements by doing so. We provide medical documentation commonly accepted by employers for leave and return-to-work purposes while still keeping your surgical information private.

GP Assessment for Duty Suitability

A doctor may discuss recovery progress and functional capacity during a video consultation. With telehealth, a fit-to-work telehealth assessment can be constructive.

The Telehealth Functional Review

During a video consultation, the doctor assesses the patient's readiness based on examination, observation, history, and functional reporting.

Range of Motion (ROM): The doctor may ask you to move the injured part of the body, for example, Can you raise your arm above your head? Can you make a fist? If these are the only two examples of movement you can perform, it stands to reason that manual work is not one of your capabilities.
Wound Review: The wound is essentially dry and healing; if it needs to be kept away from contaminated environments, the doctor can make that judgment from the high-definition video.
If an employee requires medication to get through the day, they are likely not fit for personal or professional duties.
Through platform upload, the GP can verify that the return-to-work plan aligns with the surgeon's protocols by reviewing the specialist letters or hospital discharge notes.

This approach may support discussions about post-surgery work capacity documentation. If you want to get your capacity assessed, you can schedule a medical consultation online.

Adjusted Duties and Safe Transition

Occupational health practices today focus on employee engagement in job-related activities that are realistically possible, rather than on unnecessary absences from work. In the context of the latter, the utmost importance is attached to a "Modified Duties" or "Light Duties" certificate.

The Hierarchy of Return

Injury-affected workers may be graded based on their medical certificates as follows:

Complete Disability: Being totally infirm and thus unable to work in any capacity or perform any duty. The "Unfit for all work" certificate is a prime example. This is typically used immediately after the injury or surgery.
Partially Disabled: Employees are generally able to get to work and support their colleagues, but they may be excused from specific tasks.
Fully Recovered: "Back to normal." If they have final medical clearance, work can proceed.

Safety Protocols

The certificate is a set of safety compliance instructions that the employer should follow.

Requiring 5-minute breaks every hour is one way to prevent stiffness.
Back injuries call for a sit-stand desk.
"Buddy system" is necessary, or else lifting.

Your work modification note will indicate that these are not just your requests but recommendations documented by the treating doctor. A doctor may document duty modifications, where clinically appropriate.

Medical Certificate Support for Shift Workers

It is standard for people to get injured on weekends, be it in basketball games, alterations of domiciles, or simply by accident. Meanwhile, early Monday shift workers (or even weekend workers) may find it impossible to get clearance notes from a doctor during their clinic hours. Bridging the Gap

Urgent Access: You may be able to walk after twisting your ankle on Sunday afternoon, but you are not safe enough to go to a construction site at 6:00 A.M. on Monday.
Documentation Speed: Sharing the consultation with a doctor on Sunday night is possible using Prime Medic's telehealth access.
Preventing "No Show": Making the employee issue the injury certificate in time and get it out of the way, leaving the employee with a compliant-to-contract period for the change-of-employer notification instead of a last-minute call-in.

Documentation requests are the lifeline of casual and shift-based workers who rely on this service to maintain their employment.