The National Health Sciences Students’ Association (NaHSSA) was established in 2005 and is the first national interprofessional student association in the world. NaHSSA is a network of local university and college-based chapters and students that promote interprofessional education and collaborative practice within Canada. NaHSSA enables students to advocate for and learn from this form of education through social networking and leadership opportunities.

NaHSSA Key Messages

1. NaHSSA believes that interprofessional education (IPE) equips students with the tools necessary to provide team-based care in healthcare settings.
2. NaHSSA believes that when students learn about, from and with one another they are able to make better use of the skills and knowledge of each contributing profession.
3. NaHSSA believes that when students have the opportunity to interact and to share interprofessional experiences, effective practices and learning strategies are discovered.
4. NaHSSA believes that IPE shapes collaborative practice.
5. NaHSSA believes collaborative practice is necessary for addressing issues in healthcare including but not exclusive to: wait times, resource shortages, hospital re-admissions, and quality of worklife.
6. NaHSSA believes that the patient (individual, family, and community) is the crux of collaborative practice.
7. NaHSSA believes that the patient should always have a voice in discussions and in decisions about their health and healthcare.
8. NaHSSA believes that IPE promotes effective communication between health professionals and the patient, intentionally enhancing patient safety.
9. NaHSSA provides students with leadership opportunities in IPE with the belief that the skills students acquire will lead them to become the future leaders of healthcare in Canada.
10. .NaHSSA advocates for collaboration between professional governing bodies and institutional settings to provide students with optimal interprofessional learning experiences.

NaHSSA Operations

NaHSSA consists of a Board of Directors, Chapters and students, and the Advisory Council.
Figure 1: The governance structure of NaHSSA with a breakdown of the Board of Directors

Board of Directors
NaHSSA is led by a national Board of Directors that is elected at the Annual General Meeting. The Board of Directors is involved in the direct day-to-day running of NaHSSA and holds biweekly meetings via teleconference to complement their daily email correspondences. This team is directly involved in the organization and delegation of many new initiatives that are developed during their term in office. Learn more and view this year’s Board of Directors.

Members: Students and Chapters
NaHSSA is a network composed of health and social students and more than 20 university and college-based chapters across Canada. Learn more about existing Chapters and resources available to students and Chapters.

Advisory Council
The Advisory Council serves to guide the vision of NaHSSA and consists of key leaders from NaHSSA’s local chapters as well as members of the Board of Directors. This body gives a strong voice to NaHSSA leaders from across the country in the operation of the association and provides a means for basic information exchange between its members. Learn more…