My Role in the Canadian Health Care System

The Alberta Ministry of Health (AMH), the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHICP), the Health Professions Act (HPA) and the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW) are the areas that inform my understanding of the provincial health system as a Registered Social Worker in Alberta. The AMH “sets policy and direction to achieve a sustainable and accountable health system to promote and protect the health of Albertans.” (Government of Alberta, n.d.-b) The Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) “provides eligible Alberta residents with full coverage for medically necessary physician services, and some dental and oral surgical health services.” (Government of Alberta, n.d.-a). Provincially these two areas provide guidelines, policies, funding, and criteria for Alberta’s population in addition to operational guidelines for professions included in the HPA, of which my role as a Registered Social Worker falls under. The HPA and ACSW contain professional obligations to which I must uphold. The ACSW also contains a standards of practice and code of ethics.

Federally, the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) and Canada Health Act (CHA) are resources that exists related to my role as a Registered Social Worker within the Canadian Health System. I will reference these provincial and federal resources often when advocating for patients, or when I have questions related to my scope of practice. I am mindful that not all provinces have the same guidelines, and found this as a significant learning curve when I relocated from Ontario to Alberta. These tools were useful at that time to reflect and provide direction and guidance related to my role in both the provincial, and federal health system. Moreover, I refer to these resources when questions arise related to the practice standards of other disciplines regulated under the HPA, to protect public interest.

Government of Alberta. (n.d.-a). ahcip. Alberta. Retrieved January 21, 2022, from https://www.alberta.ca/ahcip.aspx

Government of Alberta. (n.d.-b). Health-Wellness. Alberta. Retrieved January 21, 2022, from https://www.alberta.ca/health-wellness.aspx