In 2025, the Pilbara Health Professionals Network delivered its fourth Early Career Health Summit to equip emerging health professionals with the skills, resilience and networks they need to thrive in remote and regional practice.
Held on the breathtaking Thevenard Island, this year’s Summit brought together 24 early career participants from across the Pilbara for four days of immersive learning, practical skills development and peer connection. Set against the stunning Mackerel Islands backdrop, the Summit was anything but ordinary.
Participants undertook a series of emergency management training sessions focused on high-pressure, low-resource scenarios that reflect the realities of rural health care. With expert guidance from volunteer facilitators – including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and mental health clinicians – the sessions focused on clinical reasoning, teamwork and preparedness for the kinds of emergencies Pilbara health professionals may face.
But it wasn’t all clinical drills. The program also offered time for adventure and restoration, including off-road beach exploration, snorkelling, and evening dinners under the stars. These shared experiences helped participants build relationships and a strong peer network, vital for reducing isolation and burnout in rural practice.
The 2025 event marked the third Summit held on Thevenard Island and the fourth in the program’s history. Every year has sold out – a testament to the demand for regionally based, tailored development opportunities for early career health workers. The Summit continues to be a leading example of place-based, multidisciplinary health workforce support.
As one participant put it, “This was exactly what I needed – to learn, to reconnect with why I do this work, and to know I’m not doing it alone.”
Special thanks to our incredible facilitators – Dr Aaron Donald, nurse Rebecca Peck, physiotherapist Claire Donaldson and mental health clinician Julia Hensley – for generously sharing their expertise, time and passion. We are looking forward to expanding the Early Career Summits to Bremer Bay in the Great Southern in late 2025.