Pathways in Healthcare
There’s more than one way to make a difference.
Whether you're into science, love helping people, or just want to give back to your community, there’s a healthcare path for you. This page helps you explore your options, learn how to get there, and find out what support exists for students from the Pilbara.
Medical Careers
Becoming a doctor is a long but rewarding journey, and it’s more achievable than many students think—especially with rural entry pathways and support programs. Doctors can work in hospitals, clinics, or even travel between communities as rural generalists. Whether you’re interested in surgery, mental health, or community medicine, there’s a path for you. Entry usually requires high school ATAR followed by university study, or you can take a postgraduate route, starting in another health field and sitting the GAMSAT.
Nursing Careers
Nurses are the backbone of our health system and work in almost every setting—from hospitals to remote clinics and aged care homes. Nursing offers a wide range of opportunities, including becoming a registered nurse, midwife, or even advancing to nurse practitioner roles. You can enter nursing through university with an ATAR, or through TAFE and bridging programs if you take a different path after high school. There’s strong demand for nurses in rural areas, and it’s a great way to start making a difference close to home.
Allied Health Careers
If you’re interested in helping people recover, communicate, move, or live independently, allied health could be for you. These careers include physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and radiation therapists. Most roles require a university degree, but many offer flexible entry options and scholarships for rural students. Allied health professionals are essential in the Pilbara, and the demand is only growing.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Roles
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health professionals are vital to improving healthcare outcomes for communities across the Pilbara and beyond. Roles include Aboriginal Health Workers, liaison officers, and culturally-informed practitioners who bring essential knowledge, trust, and connection to care. There are training and education pathways through TAFE, community programs, and university entry schemes designed to support and empower Indigenous students into these meaningful careers.
Study & Entry Pathways
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ATAR Pathway
If you're finishing high school with an ATAR, this is one of the most direct ways into many healthcare degrees like medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, and more. Most universities—including Curtin, UWA, Notre Dame, and Edith Cowan—offer health programs with rural admission places and special support for regional students.
For medicine and some dentistry programs, you’ll also need to sit the UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test) in Year 12. This is an extra exam that tests your thinking skills, not your school subjects—and it’s required by most Australian universities for undergraduate medical entry. The UCAT is usually done mid-year, so it’s important to prepare early.
The ATAR you need depends on the course, but there are often bonus points, adjustment factors, or special entry schemes for students from remote areas like Port Hedland or Karratha. This path is ideal if you’re planning ahead in Years 10–12 and want to go straight into uni after school.
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Non-ATAR/Alternative Entry
If the ATAR route doesn’t work for you—or you’ve taken a different path—that’s totally okay. Many students enter healthcare through TAFE, bridging or foundation programs, or mature-age entry. For example, you can start with a Diploma of Nursing or a Cert IV in a health-related field, then move into a uni degree. Most universities also offer Aboriginal Access Programs and special entry pathways to support Indigenous students. These options are flexible, supportive, and designed for people with different life experiences and learning journeys.
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GAMSAT Entry
If you already have a degree—or you’re working in another health field—you can apply for medicine through the GAMSAT postgraduate entry pathway. That’s the route I took: after working as a radiation therapist, I sat the GAMSAT and was accepted into UWA’s postgraduate medical program. This is a great option if you decide on medicine later, want to bring life experience to your study, or start your journey through nursing or allied health. It takes dedication, but it’s absolutely possible, especially with the motivation and resilience that comes from a rural background.
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Local & Rural Pathways
You don’t have to come from a big city to have a big impact.
There are programs across WA and Australia created specifically to support students from rural and remote communities into careers in healthcare. These programs understand the unique challenges of studying from the bush and offer tailored support, entry schemes, and scholarships to make it possible.
Curtin Rural Entry Pathway (Bachelor of Medicine)
Curtin University’s medicine program offers a rural entry stream, giving students from remote areas a better chance of getting in. This pathway values your background and rural experience and aims to train doctors who will go back to serve rural communities.
UWA Rural Admissions Pathway
UWA offers additional places in medicine, dentistry, and other health programs for rural students. They also have the Rural Clinical School of WA, where students spend time learning in smaller communities. These experiences are often more hands-on, personal, and rewarding.
Notre Dame Kimberly Centre for Remote Medical Training
The Kimberley Centre for Remote Medical Training (KCRMT), located at the University of Notre Dame Australia's Broome campus, is Western Australia's first fully regionally based medical school. Commencing in Semester 1, 2025, this Commonwealth-funded program offers an end-to-end, graduate-entry medical training pathway designed to address the regional doctor shortage by fostering locally trained healthcare professionals. The KCRMT provides up to 20 students annually with the opportunity to complete all their medical education in a rural setting, prioritising Aboriginal and local residents .