Professor Cobie Rudd.
A partnership commitment born of collaborative effort and mutual benefit in the South West is building a brighter future for health in our State.
South West partners, Edith Cowan University (ECU) and WA Country Health Service, have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop an interconnected approach to regional clinical education, teaching, research, and new initiatives in the region, including opportunities for internships, graduate employment and new course development.
The naturally aligned organisations are looking forward to working collaboratively to nurture a model of education and training pathways, for both ECU Students and WA Country Health Service, that will provide benefits to the broader South West community.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Regional Futures) & Vice-President, Edith Cowan University, Professor Cobie Rudd said the partnership with WA Country Health Service was a natural fit for ECU’s charter to provide courses of study to meet the needs of the community in Western Australia.
"ECU South West's interaction with WA Country Health Service enriches our students' learning experience and encourages them to put their new-found knowledge and skills into action," she said.
"Strategic partnerships and collaborations – both at home and internationally – with business, industry, the professions, governments, other universities, and research groups are crucial to our University's long-term success.
"It is through collaborations like this one that we ensure our curriculum continues to be relevant, and that our research translates successfully to practice and innovation."
Growing the region
The collaboration has an overarching goal of advancing and enhancing education and training in a manner that leads to significant employment and innovation opportunities in the South West.
Bunbury Regional Hospital Director Jeff Calver said WA Country Health Service was keen to work in partnership with ECU to further develop local training capacity and initiatives.
"Facilitating student placements and supporting educational opportunities for students will contribute to regional health workforces," he said.
"Collaboration between educational and health sectors will inevitably contribute to improved health outcomes for people in regional communities."
Bunbury Regional Hospital provides services that enables students to train in a wide range of areas, including Emergency and Mental Healthcare, Intensive Care, General and Geriatric Medicine, Surgical Specialties, Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
The hospital is the largest WA Country Health Service facility in the South-West and will be undergoing a $200.1 million redevelopment.
ECU South West's Bunbury campus is Western Australia’s largest regional university campus, offering courses in nursing and midwifery, science, medical and health science, exercise science and paramedicine, teacher education, social work, counselling and psychology, arts and humanities and business.
ECU and WA Country Health Service’s commitment to an enduring partnership means exciting discussions on relevant education and training priorities and opportunities will be the new normal.
Future collaborations will be identified and may include:
- Internships
- Graduate pathway programs
- Graduate employment
- New course development collaboration
- Partnership for the Clinical Teaching Training and Research Centre
- ECU supporting future WACHS SW training events
- Sharing of space, equipment, and facilities
- Identifying training and educational opportunities for WACHS SW personnel
Professor Rudd said the memorandum of understanding was a great step forward and the teams were looking forward to more opportunities to work together.
