Communication skills of overseas doctors and training implications for psychiatry

International Medical Graduates (IMGs) in the UK—a Systematic Review of Their Acculturation and Adaptation

“…This is to identify appropriate communication skills and tested by the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with respect to their speaking, listening, reading and writing abilities. It was highlighted in a survey published in 2009 that trainers perceived the need for additional training for trainees if their language skills were deficient (Hashmi 2009). Cooke et al (2003) highlighted in a survey that there is a widely held view within the profession that the problems encountered by trainees from an ethnic minority are due to 'not understanding English culture' (Cooke et al 2003).…”

What do employers think their role is in ensuring language proficiency of internationally trained pharmacists

“…Interviewees were most familiar with the IELTS, but some shared concerns in relation to this assessment, in particular that it could be passed despite communication problems . While a number of healthcare regulators use IELTS as a means to English language testing for the workplace, IELTS has been described as being too general and not occupation specific, and passing it was not a good indicator of fluency in the workplace . While IELTS may be appropriate to measure language proficiency for entry to academic studies, it may not be appropriate for testing broader skills, such as those required for healthcare professionals, who may require testing on occupation specific components .…”

“…[51] While a number of healthcare regulators use IELTS as a means to English language testing for the workplace, IELTS has been described as being too general and not occupation specific, and passing it was not a good indicator of fluency in the workplace. [26,[28][29][30][52][53][54] While IELTS may be appropriate to measure language proficiency for entry to academic studies, it may not be appropriate for testing broader skills, such as those required for healthcare professionals, [55] who may require testing on occupation specific components. [56] Indeed, some community employers used the UBELT and the Linguarama English Assessment Test.…”

“…A broad‐ranging interview guide was devised based on published literature . Interviews began by exploring how participants had started recruiting ITPs; whether employers undertook language testing prior to ITPs starting work in their organisation; if they provided any training for ITPs; and what barriers they faced in identifying poor communication.…”