Student’s stint gives insight

Karratha has left its mark on a Perth university student who has been given a taste of working and living in the Pilbara.

Elizabeth Alderson is part of a cohort of University of WA students learning about the differences between regional and urban communities through the UWA McCusker Centre for Citizenship Innovative Internship Program.

The postgraduate law student said her 100-hour rural placement at Population Health Karratha had been an invaluable experience.

She said it challenged her assumptions and required her to use different approaches and strategies to communicate effectively with people living in the Pilbara.

“While my background is in law and politics, through the internship I saw first-hand how the rural health service needs to be different to those in urban areas,” she said.

“I think it was highly beneficial.”