Rate My Professor Rhonda Worthington

Rhonda Worthington serves as a senior administrative officer at the Rural Clinical School of Western Australia (RCSWA), part of the University of Western Australia's School of Medicine. She has been instrumental in the school's development since its inception in 2002. In May 2002, Worthington met with inaugural Head of School Professor Campbell Murdoch and medical coordinator Dr Phil Reid in Kalgoorlie to initiate operations. Facing resource constraints, the team operated from makeshift locations such as the Yelverton Hotel or the boot of her car, with their first meeting lacking even basic supplies like paper clips. She recounted creatively mapping out the first offices in a former video store using string on the floor, which a cleaner later discarded. Worthington's intense work ethic and commitment sustained the early efforts, fostering faith in the RCSWA's mission to deliver rural clinical training to medical students.

Worthington collaborated closely with leadership to establish the RCSWA headquarters in Kalgoorlie and rapidly expand to additional sites including Geraldton, Port Hedland, and Broome by the end of 2002. During Geoff Riley's tenure as head from 2007 to 2013, she contributed to strategic decisions for new sites, evaluating factors such as population size, availability of doctors, suitability of office space, and student housing to ensure effective clinical experiences. Her administrative expertise supported the school's growth across Western Australia. Worthington is a co-author on key publications, including 'Longitudinal assessment in an undergraduate longitudinal integrated clerkship: The mini Clinical Evaluation Exercise (mCEX) profile,' published in Medical Teacher in 2013, and 'Women in the rural medical academic workforce,' published in Rural and Remote Health in 2013. In 2023, she received the Dean's Award from the UWA Medical School for her contributions to the Rural Clinical School. Through her long service, Worthington has significantly aided the RCSWA's operational foundation and statewide presence, enhancing rural medical education.