Survey reveals challenges in communication and cultural adaptation for international healthcare students in the U.K., highlighting the need for improved support mechanisms.
There is a growing body of evidence which highlights the effective practices that enhance the experiences of international students; however, limited research specifically examines the experiences of international healthcare students (IHS). In the context of the United Kingdom (U.K.), there remains a paucity of research exploring the perspectives of IHS, as well as those of practice placement educators and university academic staff. This study aimed to investigate the experiences and attitudes of clinicians, lecturers, and IHS in relation to U.K. healthcare education. Data were collected through JISC online surveys administered to each of these stakeholder groups and subsequently subjected to thematic analysis. The findings indicated that all groups encountered challenges related to communication and cultural adaptation. The analysis further identified potential strategies to enhance support for IHS, including improved preparation by university staff for academic study and placements, as well as increased awareness among U.K. practice educators regarding the specific needs of IHS and the institutional support mechanisms available. This article was published open access under a CC BY-NC-ND licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ .
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Clague-Baker et al. (2025) studied this question.
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