Managing Cultural Differences, Diversity and the Dodgy: Overseas-born Students' Perspectives of Clinical Communication in Australia

Abstract

Background: That overseas-born medical and health science students can encounter language and culture-related problems in Australian clinical settings has been reported in the literature; however, little research has been done on barriers to clinical communication from the perspective of these students. Furthermore, little is known about the strategies these students adopt to manage cultural and linguistic diversity encountered on their clinical placements. This paper investigates, from the perspective of overseas-born students, the main cross-cultural and communication challenges these students encounter on their clinical placements. Method: Thirty-two overseas-born students from a range of cultural backgrounds studying in the Schools of Medicine, Physiotherapy and Nursing at an Australian university participated in focus group discussions or individual interviews. The audio-recorded interviews were analysed to identify common themes. Results: A number of themes relating to aspects of Australian clinical practice had an impact on the students. These were: the practice in Australian clinical settings of a patient-centred approach to health care; the management of clinician-patient relationships; and aspects of Australian culture such as the pervasiveness of alcohol, the dynamics of family relationships, and Australian colloquial language. Discussion: These perspectives provide educators with insights into student learning as well as supplementing existing research into intercultural clinical communication. The implications of the study include the potential benefits of exploring the cultural knowledge of these students to inform clinical communication in settings with patient diversity, as well as the need for further research on overseas-born students' perspectives of intercultural clinical communication.