Strategies in overcoming racial and socio-cultural differences in the learning environment of post-graduate medical specialty training in South Africa

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Study problemThe training of postgraduate medical students in the multi-racial landscape of South Africa has faced challenges given the need for relationships in personal mentoring and learning through legitimate participation in the community of practice (CoP), as part of cognitive apprenticeship training. A high failure rate in the exit examination had stimulated interest into understanding the nature of the learning environment.Aim and objectivesThe study explored conceptions of former students in a medical specialty program regarding the nature of racial and socio-cultural diversities in their learning environment, influences on learning, and how they responded to them.MethodologyA qualitative enquiry using in-depth interviews with semi-structured open-ended questions and thematic analysis with a social constructionist approach of epistemology used for data analysis and interpretation.FindingsStudents conceived race, language, departmental culture and social identity as barriers in their learning. The lack of structured formative training with feedback, evaluation, personal mentoring, and supervision also emerged. Through resilience, adaptability, and maturity qualified students overcame these difficulties.ConclusionCurrent and future students may benefit by developing resilience when dealing with racial and socio-cultural differences, and findings support the inclusion of cultural competence and a multi-lens approach in medical specialty curricula.