Port Hedland
Status: Small site, 6 penultimate students
Situated in the rugged Pilbara, Port Hedland is located on Karriyarra country. The Karriyarra traditional owners' name for Hedland is Marapikurrinya, inspired by the hand-like formation of the tidal creeks which run off the nearby natural harbour. A year spent in Port Hedland is a quintessential Australian experience – red dirt, a world-class national park on your doorstep, and a close-knit community.
One of the four original RCSWA sites established in 2002, the office is located approximately 2km from the Hedland Health Campus in the suburb of South Hedland. Students have access to the office 24/7 for study and printing purposes and can plunder a broad range of literature in a library.
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Accommodation and Transport
RCSWA students have access to two modern three-bedroom, two-bathroom townhouses located next door to each other. There is a very large green park at the front of the homes, and a beachside footpath is located a couple of minutes away - perfect for an evening stroll. The houses are a 15-minute drive to the RCSWA office in South Hedland, with the Health Campus only a couple of minutes further away.
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Health Services
Hedland is the regional centre for health services in the Pilbara. This means that Hedland has the lion’s share of the region’s specialist medical practitioners.
Hedland Health Campus is a modern facility staffed by procedural GPs (District Medical Officers) along with specialist doctors covering paediatrics, obstetrics, surgery, anaesthetics, internal medicine, and emergency medicine. As the regional centre, Hedland receives the more challenging patients from around the Pilbara. The hospital is served by visiting specialists such as cardiology (paediatric and adult), ophthalmology, ENT, orthopaedics, nephrology, rheumatology, and dermatology.
There are also plenty of other health services around the town that the RCSWA works with as part of the Port Hedland program. Hedland is home to a Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) base, and students are regularly rostered to accompany the RFDS doctors on their travels. There is an Aboriginal Health Service, Wirraka Maya, where medical students spend time with Aboriginal Health Workers, doctors, nurses, and allied health staff. Students are also sent to the three general practices in town - Port Hedland Medical Centre, Port Hedland Family Practice and Sonic Healthcare, and the Pilbara Mental Health and Drug Service, our local psychiatric service provider.
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Extra activities
The town itself has a young population, so there is no shortage of sporting activities for those who are interested. We have an amateur theatre group, turtles, a swimmable beach at Pretty Pool and a community where newcomers are made to feel very welcome. To find out more about the town and the wider Pilbara region, check out the following links:
I have lived here with my family for 19 years and strongly recommend the beautiful Northwest to any student doctors with a taste for adventure! Rob Whitehead
Lead Medical Coordinator, Port Hedland
Lead Medical Coordinator, Port Hedland
Rob Whitehead
Rob looks after the teaching in Port Hedland, covering nearly 400 topics across the year in an interactive format. He joined the RCSWA in 2004 and helped to launch the Karratha site in 2006. Rob has lived in Port Hedland for a long time and loves being in the state's great north-west region.
What I love about the RCSWA
Working with the school allows me an unrivalled opportunity to directly teach an extremely wide range of subject matter. I also enjoy living and working in the Pilbara - land of deep gorges, endless skies and crazy summer storms.
acADemic services officer, port hedland
Amy Linnegar
Amy supports students with their placements, assessments, housing and everything in between. She moved to Port Hedland in October 2024 from Perth where she was born and bred.
What I love about the RCSWA
I love the support RCSWA provides staff. Although we are situated across the state, it still feels like a tight-knit workplace. Everyone is so friendly and happy to lend a helping hand.
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