The Early Career Health Summits by Rural Health West

The Mt Burdett Foundation, through its Rural and Regional Advancement Foundation (RRAF), is proud to support a vital initiative designed to strengthen healthcare in regional Western Australia: the Early Career Health Summits.

Led by Rural Health West and delivered through its network of Health Professionals Networks (HPNs), this project brings immersive, place-based training and support to early-career health professionals in four key regional areas: the Kimberley, Goldfields, Midwest-Gascoyne, and Great Southern.

Healthcare professionals working in rural and remote areas often face challenges that go beyond the clinic—professional isolation, lack of ongoing training, and limited social connection can lead to burnout and workforce turnover. The Early Career Health Summits aim to change that.

Each two-day summit will host 24 early-career participants (doctors, nurses, midwives, and allied health workers) and provide:

• Training in managing medical emergencies in remote settings

• Localised clinical case discussions

• Workshops on teamwork, leadership, and resilience

• Referral pathway education

• Social connection and peer networking

  
  

Importantly, all of this happens within the regions where participants live and work, building practical capacity, local confidence, and deeper community ties.

A similar summit held in the Pilbara in 2021, received overwhelmingly positive feedback and has since become a model for rural health development. With the RRAF’s funding, Rural Health West can now expand this proven initiative into four new regions, with the first summit held in May 2025.

Each event will be delivered by local health professionals who bring deep knowledge of the region’s needs. Their mentorship and presence throughout the summit helps foster longer-term relationships and even future supervision or employment pathways.

This project aligns directly with RRAF’s mission to build human capacity in rural and regional areas—especially among early- and mid-career professionals.

“Participants leave with not only new skills, but also a greater sense of belonging and purpose in their regional communities,” says Leesa Thomas, General Manager of Education and Engagement at Rural Health West.

By investing in people, we’re investing in stronger, healthier, and more resilient rural communities. If you have a community-focused project in health, education, or leadership development visit mtburdettfoundation.org.au to learn more about our Rural and Regional Advancement Foundation grants.