The opening of Curtin Kalgoorlie’s new Rural Health Campus will bring greater regional training opportunities for medical and health science students and help overcome challenges facing the rural health workforce.
Featuring a simulation clinical hospital ward and rooms for clinical training and assessments, the Rural Health Campus is an integral part of Curtin’s renowned Medical School based at Bentley–ranked the best in Australia for the third consecutive year in the Good Universities Guide 2022 and which also has facilities at Curtin’s new Midland Campus.
Curtin University Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne said the Kalgoorlie Rural Health Campus will provide a vital boost for rural training opportunities and programs, providing students with invaluable practical learning and encouraging graduates to work in the regions.
“The Rural Health Campus was developed to help address the uneven distribution of medical services in rural Western Australia,” Professor Hayne said.
“By increasing options available for rural training and providing a base for students to complete practical experiences, our goal is encourage more graduates to take up employment in the regions.”
Curtin’s Kalgoorlie Campus Director Sabina Shugg said the Rural Health Campus will further foster industry and government partnerships; as well as community engagement across the mining and health sectors.
“The strong and longstanding reputation of Curtin Kalgoorlie among the Goldfields community and its many connections with local stakeholders, will only grow with the addition of this new facility,” Ms Shugg said.
“The Rural Health Campus will play a major role in supporting the health and medical needs of the Goldfields region and Curtin Medical School staff have been collaborating closely with partners on how best to achieve this outcome.”
Curtin University Medical School Dean, Professor Sandra Eades, a leading public health academic and respected Noongar woman, said Aboriginal health outcomes will be a major focus of the facility.
“The Rural Health Campus at Kalgoorlie will not only provide our students with valuable training experience, but also the opportunity to engage with the broader health workforce, government agencies and other stakeholders, to identify and support work being done across the Goldfields in the area of health, and in particular Aboriginal health,” Professor Eades said.
Students will have the chance to tour the new Rural Health Campus, as well as learn more about the courses and experiences on offer at Curtin Kalgoorlie at the annual Open Day on Wednesday, August 18, from 10.00am to 3.00pm.
Visitors to the Kalgoorlie Campus will have the opportunity to learn about the different pathways into Curtin, discover the wide range of courses available, beyond the renowned engineering degrees offered through the WA School of Mines, such as Mineral and Mining Engineering that ranked number one in Australia and second in the world in the 2021 QS World University Rankings by Subject, as well as speak to career counsellors about what study and vocation options best suit them.
This year, the free family event will feature industry partners from both the resources and health sectors, who will speak to students about the excellent opportunities for work-integrated learning.
For more information on Curtin Kalgoorlie Open Day, visit: curtin.edu/kal-openday.
