Role and Function Study of Life Care Planners

This article summarizes the results of a two-year role and function study. The purpose of this study was to identify the role and function employed by professional life care planners. Role and function studies help to define a profession and provide an empirical basis for establishment of educational standards and certification requirements. The study encompassed four phases that included qualitative and quantitative methodologies. A qualitative analysis of the life care planning, case management, and rehabilitation counseling literature revealed 532 potential roles and functions performed by life care planners. Following a content analysis and expert review by participants attending the 2008 Life Care Planning Summit, a 122-item role and function instrument was developed and administered to professional life care planners (n=160). Participants who completed the instrument indicated that all 122 roles and functions were at least “important” to the field of life care planning. Additionally, a majority of the items were “occasionally” to “often” performed by life care planners. Finally, to confirm the 22 themes or constructs that emerged from the study, participants at the 2009 International Symposium on Life Care Planning (n=93) were asked to place the specific roles and functions into corresponding themes to validate those constructs. Results of this study have important implications for updating life care planning training curricula and certifications requirements, as well as for practicing life care planners and other stakeholders.