How to become an NZMSA area Representative

The North Zone Medical Staff Association (NZMSA) is governed by a Council of representatives from each of the North Zone’s 10 areas and an Executive elected from Council. View the complete Area Representative role description.

Council

In the interests of geographic representation, members from each of the Zone's ten (10) areas vote for their Area Representative to form part of the Council. The ten (10) Area Representatives form the Council.

The Area Representatives position is a two (2) year term, with the option to renew for consecutive terms. Remuneration and administrative support are provided.

sELECTION of the eXECUTIVE

The Council is required to elect from among its members the following Executive:

  1. Vice-President (2-year term). The Vice-President shall succeed the President upon the expiration of the President’s term.

  2. Secretary/Treasurer (2-year term)

Complete executive role descriptions as well as the nomination and election process are available here.

Eligibility

To be eligible to be nominated as an Area Representative and sit on Council:

  • Be a NZMSA member.

  • A Member's Primary Zone Clinical Department (as defined in the Medical Staff Bylaws) must be within the Zone and that Member's main community of clinical activity must also be within the applicable Area. View the North Zone Area Map.

Interested? Contact the NZMSA administrative office at zmsaadmin@albertadoctors.org

What is a Zone Medical Staff Association?

All physicians practising within each zone are eligible to become members of their local ZMSA. Physicians do not have to have an appointment with Alberta Health Services (AHS).

ZMSAs are the voice of the physicians. We are physician representation for the AHS Bylaws and Rules as per section 2.12 of the Bylaws. The purpose of the ZMSAs is “to facilitate the engagement and participation of the Zone Medical Staff in Practitioner-related matters, and the fulfilment of the responsibilities and duties of Practitioners pursuant to these Bylaws and the Rules”. There are five ZMSAs in Alberta, one for each zone.

ZMSAs are equitably funded and supported (financial, in-kind and central administrative support) by the AMA and AHS, but remain independent of either organization. ZMSAs are truly grass roots organizations that exist to represent all physicians. Each ZMSA has an executive committee – who are either elected or appointed – committed to ensuring local physician issues are acknowledged.

ZMSAs are actively involved in:

  • Gathering advice from zone physicians and advocating on local and zone issues.

  • Meetings with Zone Medical Directors.

  • Council of Zone Leaders, the primary function of which is to be a venue for the AMA and ZMSAs Presidents to discuss and consider common issues and developments on a provincial and zonal basis, where zonal leaders can share issues and concerns, and from which the AMA may identify common themes the association can advance on behalf of members.

  • Bylaws-mandated AHS committees, both zone and provincial.

  • A joint AMA-AHS Provincial Liaison Forum.

  • Leading the local Zonal Advisory Forum (ZAF), designed to provide the ZMSA, the AMA and AHS with a collective perspective from practising physicians about local and provincial issues.

ZMSAs and the AHS Medical Staff Bylaws and Rules

The Bylaws and Rules govern the relationship between us and AHS. It is written in the Bylaws that “AHS and the Medical Staff jointly contribute to an effective medical organization structure through the development, implementation and amendment of Bylaws and Rules governing the creation, organization and operation of the Medical Staff”. The ZMSAs have been and continue to be your representation for input and the physician voice for the Bylaws and Rules.