Medical students call for intercultural competency teaching across the whole curriculum

First- and second-year medical students at Imperial College School of Medicine say teaching on intercultural competency should be embedded throughout the core curriculum, according to a qualitative study published in BMC Medical Education. The research, led by Adele Schiff, Oliver Mercer, Noreen Ryan and Ana Baptista, explored how early undergraduate students perceive their learning of interculturally competent care, an ability the study’s authors describe as navigating and adapting care to each individual patient while remaining aware of one’s own assumptions, rather than simply memorising facts about specific cultures.

The study used semi-structured focus group discussions with 13 Year 1 and 2 medical students at the school, where intercultural competency teaching is already delivered from the first year through tutorials and guided online learning sessions. The anonymised transcripts were then subjected to thematic analysis. The questions focused on students’ perceptions of the content of teaching, their preferred teaching methods, and their motivation for developing intercultural competency.

The analysis revealed two key themes in how intercultural competency is taught: the teaching content itself, and making that teaching authentic. Students recognised that they had learned about the needs of patients from diverse backgrounds in topics such as dermatology and LGBTQ+ healthcare. However, they noted that when epidemiological data is used in teaching, it must be contextualised to avoid generalisation about patient groups.

On teaching methods, students expressed a preference for small group teaching and for hearing patient voices throughout their learning.

Students also identified gaps in the current provision. They said they would appreciate teaching on understanding unconscious biases and on advocating for patients in their position.

Motivation to develop intercultural competency, the students reported, stemmed from its relevance to clinical practice, from concrete examples encountered in teaching, and from the potential for the subject to be assessed. The perceived link between the material and future clinical work appeared to drive engagement with the topic.

In their conclusion, the researchers reported that students felt intercultural competency teaching should be embedded throughout the core curriculum and that its clinical relevance should be highlighted. Students also suggested that current learning and assessment material should be reviewed, and that intercultural competency teaching should be facilitated by specifically trained tutors.

The authors state that the study reinforces the importance of introducing intercultural competency teaching early in medical training and provides suggestions for improvement to further refine intercultural competency-focused learning resources for undergraduate students. The findings reflect the views of a small group of 13 students at a single medical school, gathered through focus groups and analysed thematically, so they represent the perceptions of early-year students at one institution rather than a general measure of teaching quality across medical education. The General Medical Council, cited in the study, states that medical schools should provide students with an understanding of how to provide effective treatment to a diverse, twenty-first century population, a context the authors present for why intercultural competency matters in undergraduate training.

Subject of Research: Student perceptions of intercultural competency education in an undergraduate medical curriculum

Article Title: Building intercultural competency: student perceptions of diversity education within an undergraduate medical curriculum

Article References: Schiff, A., Mercer, O., Ryan, N., & Baptista, A. (2026). Building intercultural competency: student perceptions of diversity education within an undergraduate medical curriculum. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-10360-1

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12909-026-10360-1

Keywords: intercultural competency, medical education, undergraduate medicine, qualitative study, focus groups, thematic analysis, cultural competence, Imperial College School of Medicine, curriculum design, patient communication, Building, intercultural