WASHINGTON, DC - As the number of people living with a disability continues to rise, health workers are increasingly performing much-needed rehabilitation work without proof of the required education or training. To this end, CGFNS International, Inc. (CGFNS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP) in April 2019 to set the standards for global certification for these health workers and to upgrade education and training programs to support safe and effective rehabilitation care around the world.
“With its 42-year history of credential evaluation in the health professions, CGFNS is uniquely positioned to set these standards with our ASAHP colleagues for rehabilitation health workers,” said Franklin A. Shaffer, EdD, RN, FAAN, FFNMRCSI, President and CEO of CGFNS. “The demand for a skilled global rehabilitation workforce continues to grow, so we’re working to ensure our standards are aligned with ongoing international efforts calling for high-quality and accessible care.”
In prioritizing disability as a universal health and human rights issue, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that one billion people globally are currently living with a disability – and that number is projected to increase due to an aging population, environmental conditions, and other factors. Evidence also suggests that disability disproportionately affects women, older people, and poor people.
WHO Rehabilitation 2030 continued to identify avenues to alleviate this growing health concern, following a comparable trajectory first established in WHO Global Disability Action Plan 2014-2021. The initial goals of improving access to rehabilitation health programs, strengthening assistance and support services, and improving international disability research and data collection all require a health workforce trained to provide for rehabilitation care in different practice-settings across the globe.
“With its university-members and employers focused on providing education for health professionals, ASAHP is uniquely qualified to lend its strengths in developing competency standards in rehabilitation care in the global context,” said Susan Hanrahan, PhD, PT, MPA, President of ASAHP. “ASAHP is honored to join CGFNS as a strategic partner to develop education programs and to provide subject matter expertise and academic leadership through this worldwide certification program.”
Research conducted over a two-year span by CGFNS and ASAHP confirmed that a global rehabilitation certification will go a long way in recognizing this important health workforce.
About CGFNS International, Inc.
Founded in 1977, CGFNS International, Inc., based in Philadelphia, is an immigration-neutral not-for-profit organization operating in 227 countries as the world’s largest credential evaluation organization for the nursing and allied healthcare professions. CGFNS and the International Council of Nurses co-founded the International Centre on Nurse Migration (ICNM) to serve as a global resource for research, policy and information on nurse migration. CGFNS has NGO consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and is a member of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO).
About ASAHP
The Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP) is a national professional organization of 125 universities and employers focused on critical issues affecting allied health education. ASAHP’s mission is to improve health through excellence in education, interprofessional collaboration, leadership, research, and advocacy. ASAHP’s vision is to be a leading interprofessional voice for better health and better care.