Making international trainees feel welcome: don’t forget Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

I find it surprising how people often forget the basics of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs when talking about making international medical graduates welcome.12 In one case a trainee’s start date was set back by three weeks because of visa and occupational health checks. That meant delays in both start date and first salary.Once the basics of physiological needs (housing, healthcare, and so on) and psychological safety are tackled we move on to what I call “cultural adaptation skills.” They range from explaining the vagaries of local dialects to looking at collaborative teamwork and handovers. My favourite resource to ease the process is the Refugee and Asylum Seekers Centre for Healthcare Professionals Education.3



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