HEdS-Geneva is a member of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES-SO). It trains health professionals capable of meeting the demands and complex challenges of the healthcare sector.
Overview
HES-SO
Mission
Interprofessionnality
Governing bodies
Quality
Equal Opportunities
As the largest School of Health Sciences in Western Switzerland, HEdS-Geneva is the only institution to offer five of the seven degree programs in the field of health sciences: Nutrition and Dietetics, Physiotherapy, Midwifery, Nursing, and Medical Radiology Technology.
Its unique organisation into five degree programs enables the development of both specialised expertise within each field and strong interprofessional synergies.
Values
HEdS-Geneva upholds three core values that define its mission and identity:
Commitment, reflecting its core profession;
Boldness, embodying its ambition and dynamic approach;
Integrity, a fundamental principle it seeks to cultivate both internally and externally.
These principles and ideals are reflected in the attitudes and actions of HEdS-Geneva’s staff and students. They contribute to shaping a shared identity and culture across the School’s five degree programs.
Firmly rooted in the region through its professional, institutional, and scientific networks, HEdS-Geneva also develops collaborations at both national and international levels.
HEdS-Geneva is part of Switzerland’s largest network for higher professional education. It is affiliated with:
At the intercantonal level: the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES-SO)
At the cantonal level: HES-SO Geneva.
HES-SO at a glance
The University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES-SO) is the largest of the nine universities of applied sciences in Switzerland. It comprises:
28 universities of applied sciences across seven French-speaking cantons
Six fields of study: Design and Visual Arts, Business, Management and Services, Engineering and Architecture, Music and Performing Arts, Health, and Social Work
More than 20,000 students
HES-SO is led by a Rectorate, which consists of a Rector, three Vice-Rectors, and a Secretary-General.
At the HES-SO level, the coordinating body for the eight health degree programs and the eight universities of applied sciences offering health-related education is called the Conseil de domaine santé.
For more information on the Health Sciences Faculty Council, its composition, and responsibilities, please refer to the Health Sciences Faculty Règlement d’organisation of HES-SO.
HES-SO Geneva at a Glance
HES-SO Geneva brings together the following six universities of applied sciences: :
Haute école d'art et de design (HEAD)
Haute école de gestion (HEG)
Haute école de musique (HEM)
Haute école du paysage, d'ingénierie et d'architecture (HEPIA)
Haute école de santé (HEdS)
Haute école de travail social (HETS).
HES-SO Geneva is led by a Management Board, composed of a General Director, who presides over it, and the directors of the six universities of applied sciences in Geneva.
For information regarding admissions to the six universities of applied sciences in the Canton of Geneva, please visit this link.
This shared affiliation fosters collaborations between Geneva’s universities of applied sciences in both education (undergraduate and continuing education) and research.
To develop projects addressing the challenges of the Greater Geneva area and facilitate cooperation between the six universities of applied sciences in the canton, HES-SO Geneva has created an urban development platform: https://www.hesge.ch/developpement-urbain/
The missions of HEdS-Geneva include practice-oriented bachelor education, continuing education, applied research and development, as well as service provision.
Bachelor education
The bachelor education offered at HEdS-Geneva is practice-oriented and focused on the acquisition of professional skills. The training programmes closely combine theoretical teaching with practical training in professional settings.
At university level, the programmes at HEdS-Geneva are based on scientific foundations and validated best practices. A distinctive feature of these programmes is that they allow students to acquire both specific competencies related to each of the five professions taught and interprofessional skills. From the beginning of their studies, students learn to work effectively with other health professionals towards shared and common objectives. The goal is to develop autonomous and responsible professional practice.
Continuing education
According to the Federal Act on Health Professions, continuing education is a professional duty throughout one’s career (lifelong learning). HEdS-Geneva offers two categories of continuing education:
Certified programmes, validated by a recognised diploma such as CAS, DAS, MAS, which allow for in-depth specialisation in specific fields;
Non-certified programmes, which are shorter in duration and designed to meet the need for updating professional skills.
These programmes are developed in close collaboration with key stakeholders in the regional healthcare and education systems.
They address the needs of professionals while integrating innovations from Applied Research and Development (AR&D).
AR&D
Applied Research and Development (AR&D) at HEdS-Geneva is firmly rooted in professional practice and guided by current and future socio-health challenges. As with its other core missions, this requires close collaboration with the professional sector. In addition, scientific partnerships are established with other Swiss and European higher education institutions, as well as with industry.
The innovative and rigorous research conducted at HEdS-Geneva is based on the interplay between:
The specific expertise developed within its five degree programmes;
The interdisciplinary scientific collaborations fostered by its researchers.
The outcomes of AR&D contribute to advancing professional practices and expanding scientific knowledge in the field of health, while also enriching both undergraduate and continuing education.
Services provision
Firmly anchored in its regional context, HEdS-Geneva places its expertise at the service of both public and private healthcare institutions and organisations, offering:
Specialised professional expertise in specific fields;
Cutting-edge knowledge derived from Applied Research and Development (AR&D);
Experience and know-how in pedagogy.
Characterised by the application of knowledge to practice, the services provided by HEdS-Geneva contribute to the advancement of:
Professional competencies;
Healthcare services;
The organisation of the healthcare system.
Since 2012, HEdS-Geneva has been offering an interprofessional bachelor training programme in partnership with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Geneva, and since 2019, with the School of Pharmacy. This shared vision aims to:
Connect diverse expertise and create interprofessional synergies;
Transform a traditionally siloed professional culture;
Facilitate collaborative health and social care practice in Geneva.
This unique, cross-disciplinary programme includes 300 hours of learning at HEdS-Geneva, 120 hours at the Faculty of Medicine, and 60 hours at the School of Pharmacy. A total of 1,000 health sciences students, 450 medical students, and 150 pharmacy students are enrolled in three sequential training units.
The interprofessional curriculum is designed by faculty members from the five degree programmes at HEdS-Geneva, the Faculty of Medicine, the School of Pharmacy, and field experts.
Objective
Train future professionals capable of interacting effectively and mobilising collective skills to address increasingly complex healthcare situations at individual, family, and community levels (Frenk et al., 2010).
Develop an interprofessional culture and intelligence to support a concept focused on integrated collective healthcare services (WHO, 2015).
Promote a person-centred approach, taking into account the individual's living context, while implementing a structured and effective communication methodology.
Perspectives
Undergraduate education: Collaborate with other health and social care training partners, such as healthcare assistants (ASSC) and social workers.
Students: Participate in interprofessional networks and conferences, such as the World Healthcare Students Symposium.
Research: Assess the impact of interprofessional education on collaborative field practices and highlight improvements in patient outcomes.
Continuing and postgraduate education: Integrate interprofessional dimensions into existing programmes and future Master’s degrees, to enhance the quality, continuity, and safety of care, while fostering new forms of cooperation.
Teaching staff: Develop a competency framework for collective health and social care, reflecting innovative and efficient practices.
The programme complies with the charter of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAMS).
The roles and composition of HEdS-Geneva’s governing bodies and steering committees are outlined in a document titled Governance of HEdS-Geneva and illustrated through an organisational chart (documents currently under revision).
The bodies and committees of HES-SO Geneva and its schools are defined in the loi sur la HES-SO Genève and the Règlement d'organisation of HES-SO Geneva. These regulatory texts emphasise community participation in the strategic direction and operation of the institution.
HEdS-Geneva is represented at the cantonal level within the governing bodies of HES-SO Geneva and at the intercantonal level within those of HES-SO.
Conseil de direction
Règlementairement, le Conseil de Direction est composéau minimum de:
la Directrice ou le Directeur qui le préside
la Directrice adjointe ou le Directeur adjoint
les responsables de filières
les responsables de la coordination de l’enseignement / de la recherche / de la formation continue.
La Directrice / le Directeur de la HEdS-Genève rempli les attributions qui lui sont conférées (art. 33 al. 2 de la Loi sur la HES-SO GE) en s’appuyant sur le Conseil de Direction. Ce dernier:
contribue à prendre les décisions / mesures nécessaires au bon fonctionnement de l’école ;
se prononce sur toutes les questions qui lui sont soumises concernant l’organisation, le fonctionnement et le développement de l’école.
Conseil académique
Le Conseil académique est composé de huit représentant·es externes, nommé·es par le Conseil d’Etat et de quatre membres internes, élu·es par leurs pairs.
Compétences :
se prononce sur l’orientation stratégique de la politique de développement et de recherche de la HEdS-Genève
préavise l’engagement de la Directrice ou du Directeur
renforce le tissu social, économique, sanitaire, culturel de la région et les liens avec les milieux professionnels
désigne le ou la représentant·e externe au Conseil d’orientation stratégique de la HES-SO Genève
Commission mixte
La Commission mixte est composée de 12 membres représentants la Direction et les différents corps de la HEdS-Genève.
Compétences :
se saisit de toute question que la direction, le personnel ou les étudiant·e·s désirent aborder en commun.
Les séances ont lieu au minimum deux fois par an et sont publiques.
Conseils de filière
Le Conseil de filière aide la/le responsable de filière à remplir les attributions qui lui sont conférées par la loi soit :
proposer et mettre en œuvre la stratégie et pédagogie de la filière
proposer les actions/moyens de développement
assurer la bonne marche de la filière
Chaque filière dispose d’un Conseil de filière composé, au minimum, de :
la/le responsable de filière qui assure la présidence
un·e répondant·e par mission
un·e répondant·e de cursus de la filière
les responsables de pôles thématiques (si existants)
En fonction des besoins et spécificités des filières, d’autres fonctions peuvent s’ajouter notamment les responsables de modules.
La composition des conseils de filière est fixée par la Direction de la HEdS-Genève.
Autres instances de la HEdS-Genève
Conseil Ra&D
Collège de la recherche (regroupe l’ensemble des personnes engagées dans des projets de recherche)
Collège de la formation continue (regroupe l’ensemble des personnes qui interviennent dans le cadre de formations de courte et longue durée)
Séances plénières (regroupe l’ensemble des collaboratrices et collaborateurs de la HEdS-Genève)
Association des étudiant·es : la Sonde
Organes de la HES-SO Genève
Au niveau cantonal, la HEdS-Genève est représentée dans:
Liliane Maury Pasquier, ancienne députée au Conseil des États et au Conseil national / Présidente honoraire de l’Assemblée parlementaire du Conseil de l'Europe
HEdS-Geneva adheres to the quality provisions established by its supervisory bodies, HES-SO Geneva and HES-SO.
The quality assurance system developed by HEdS-Geneva aims to demonstrate to the individuals and organisations benefiting from its services that the institution delivers its various programmes and activities with the highest possible level of quality, while maintaining a continuous improvement approach.
Cadre légal
Loi fédérale sur l'encouragement des hautes écoles et la coordination dans le domaine suisse des hautes écoles (LEHE)
Selon cette loi, les hautes écoles ont la responsabilité de (art. 27) :
contrôler périodiquement la qualité de leur enseignement, de leur recherche et de leurs prestations de services
veiller à l’assurance et au développement de la qualité à long terme.
Elles font l’objet d’une accréditation institutionnelle (art. 28, al. 1). Cette démarche est liée à la protection des diplômes délivrés et au droit aux subventions de la Confédération.
L’accréditation doit avoir lieu au plus tard 8 ans suite à l’entrée en vigueur de la LEHE le 01.01.2015 (art. 75, al. 1).
Selon cette loi fédérale (en cours d'élaboration), les filières HES de la santé seront soumises à une procédure d’accréditation spécifique (art. 6, al. 2), indépendamment de l’accréditation institutionnelle prévue par la LEHE. Les critères et le calendrier seront déterminés sur le plan national.
L’accréditation permet de garantir l’application de normes nationales uniformes dans la formation aux professions de la santé. Cette démarche sert à contrôler si :
les standards pour la définition du contenu et de la structure des filières d’études sont respectés (art. 6, al. 2, let. a)
les compétences nécessaires pour l’exercice de la profession sont transmises aux étudiant·es (art. 6, al. 2, let. b).
Pour de plus amples informations, voir le site de l’administration fédérale au sujet de la LPSan.
Convention intercantonale sur la HES-SO
Selon cette convention, la HES-SO garantit l’application des standards de qualité définis sur le plan national et international par les organes d’accréditation compétents (art. 1, al. 1).
Sous la responsabilité du Rectorat, la HES-SO se dote d’un plan d’assurance qualité en vue des accréditations prévues par la législation fédérale (art. 16, al. 2).
La HES-SO Genève applique les dispositions en matière de qualité prévues par la HES-SO (art. 10).
La Directrice ou le Directeur général a pour attribution de mettre en oeuvre les décisions des organes de la HES-SO, en particulier s’agissant de l’application du système de contrôle interne et de gestion par la qualité (art. 25, al. 3, lettre g).
Le Conseil de direction de la HES-SO GE a pour attribution (art. 26, al. 1, lettres h et i) :
d’assurer la qualité des formations dispensées et celle des formations continues offertes
d’exercer la surveillance des activités de recherche et développement ainsi que des mandats de prestations et de favoriser le transfert de technologies.
Making equal opportunities a reality within the schools of HES-SO Geneva is a priority, as well as a constitutional and legal mandate for universities of applied sciences.
Disseminating information on equal opportunities and barrier-free access within HES-SO Geneva.
Coordinating the implementation of accommodation measures for students with special needs.
Contact at HES-SO Genève
Ms Jesusa ONA (Monday, Tuesday, Friday), HES-SO Geneva representative for: :
For any cross-cutting questions related to equal opportunities
In case of difficulties encountered within a school or at the general management level (e.g., discrimination, harassment, etc.).
Find out more about the Equal Opportunities Policy of HES-SO Geneva via this link, and explore the Equality and Diversity Policy of HES-SO via this link.
Réception de la HEdS-Genève
HEdS Genève
Haute école de santé
Avenue de Champel 47
1206 Genève
Du lundi au jeudi entre 7h45-12h & 13h-15h15 et le vendredi entre 7h45-12h