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“HSAA/NUPGE congratulates Cardinal on his international accomplishment and his leadership in the field of social work. It’s this kind of expertise and willingness to go the extra mile that makes me proud of the people who make up our union.” — Mike Parker, HSAA President
Edmonton (13 July 2017) — A social worker and member of the Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA/NUPGE) has been selected to a leading international role in setting standards for the profession.
Canadian social worker chosen to forumate test questions for international social work licensing examinations
Cardinal Fomradas, MSW, RSW, DCA, was chosen by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) to be an Item Writer Practice Consultant representing Canada. The ASWB is an international organization composed of social work regulatory bodies from the following jurisdictions: all provinces in Canada, all states in the U.S., Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands.
The ASWB develops and administers social work licensing examinations. In the U.S., all 50 states as well as Washington D.C. require the examinations as part of the social work licensing process. In Canada, Alberta and British Columbia use ASWB examinations. Alberta was the first province in Canada to use an ASWB examination.
The Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW) uses the ASWB Clinical Examination for social workers who want to be part of the clinical registry. The clinical registry requirements are voluntary, so not all social workers in Alberta choose to undertake writing this examination.
Cardinal was selected to be an Item Writer Practice Consultant for the 2016 training class. There were hundreds of applicants from across North America and a total of 19 social workers were selected, 17 from the U.S. and 2 from Canada, including Fomradas.
They received an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C. to attend the ASWB Item Writer training course. The Item Writers research social work literature and use this information to formulate test questions that are used in the examinations.
HSAA President proud to see member receive recognition
For the past 9 years, Cardinal has worked as a social worker at Calgary’s Peter Lougheed Centre. He has also previously served as the HSAA/NUPGE site representative for social workers on the Local Unit executive at the Peter Lougheed Centre.
“HSAA/NUPGE congratulates Cardinal on his international accomplishment and his leadership in the field of social work,” says Mike Parker, HSAA President. “It’s this kind of expertise and willingness to go the extra mile that makes me proud of the people who make up our union.”