Rural Clinical School of WA brings medical students to Port Hedland

Six medical students from the Rural Clinic School of WA will dive into the distinctive challenges of healthcare in regional areas through diverse placements in Port Hedland. They are spending the entire second last year of their UWA, Notre Dame and Curtin University medical degrees living in town and working at the Hedland Health Campus and local GP practices. Orientation has so far involved surgery, obstetrics, and gynaecology workshops with senior hospital staff, and meeting the teams from the Wirraka Maya Health Service Aboriginal Corporation and the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Curtin student Arman Brian has observed a unique kinship that binds the Port Hedland community. “Patients trust us to handle procedures and formulate care plans, creating an unparalleled yet humbling learning experience,” Arman said. RCSWA lead medical co-ordinator Rob Whitehead said the students had been excellent at immersing themselves with the community, and providing quality medical support. “Since surviving their trip to Karijini National Park back in January, the students have been engaging enthusiastically with the coalface of clinical medicine,” Rob noted. “By bringing future doctors to our town for a year of training, we hope that we can inspire them to come back and join their colleagues as future Hedland medical practitioners.”